McPherson Honors Crash Victims as Bullpups Return

Trump Backs Marshall as Hamilton Courts Trump Voters

Clearwater Man Charged With Threatening Trump

Johnson County Turnout Nears 2024 as Sedgwick Voting Opens

Investors Propose Topeka Rare-Earth Manufacturing Hub

McPherson Honors Crash Victims as Bullpups Return

MCPHERSON, Kan. — McPherson residents filled the high school stadium Monday for the Bullpups’ first boys soccer game since a Wichita crash killed Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35. City leaders, first responders and families wore red at the school’s request, overflowing the bleachers and lining the track and fences as McPherson beat Augusta 8-0 on Senior Night, its final regular-season home game. Players, parents and staff decided Sunday to continue the season after Saturday’s crash, when a pickup entered a field during youth games at Stryker Sports Complex, killing the two McPherson residents and injuring 10 others. Cole was longtime head coach Chris Adrian’s son, and players, coaches and fans wore “Fly High Cole + Nick” shirts. Both teams and officials linked arms at midfield before kickoff, and the school directed all gate proceeds and donations to the McPherson County Community Foundation’s fund for affected families. The fund accepts online donations and checks for funeral, medical and mental health expenses.

‘Fly High Cole + Nick’: McPherson Fills Stadium for Bullpups’ First Game Since Crash

Gate proceeds went to the McPherson County Community Foundation fund as McPherson beat Augusta 8-0 on Senior Night

citizen journalGreg Loving

Trump Backs Marshall as Hamilton Courts Trump Voters

PARK CITY, Kan. — President Donald Trump rallied for Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall on Monday, Oct. 19, at Heartland Credit Union Arena north of Wichita, his first Wichita-area visit in about a decade, according to KWCH. In a roughly 90-minute speech, Trump called Marshall “one of the greatest senators in our country” and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor, a “disgrace” who was “pretending to be a moderate,” according to Kansas Reflector and Kansas News Service. Trump said Marshall got a “bum rap” over his former medical practice's lawsuits against patients with unpaid bills because the law required them. KSN reported thousands inside and an overflow crowd outside; protesters interrupted at least five times, and Attorney General Kris Kobach and musician Ted Nugent spoke earlier. Before the rally, Hamilton released a video welcoming Trump and courting his voters, promising to support presidential decisions that help Kansas and oppose Washington decisions that hurt farmers, rural hospitals or paychecks. The toss-up race could help determine Senate control Nov. 3 in a state Trump carried by about 16 percentage points in 2024 and that has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932.

Kansas Reflector · Kansas News Service · KSN · KWCH · KCTV5

Clearwater Man Charged With Threatening Trump

CLEARWATER, Kan. — Federal prosecutors charged Jaden J. Read, 24, of Clearwater in Sedgwick County, with threatening the president over alleged online comments about shooting Donald Trump before his Oct. 19 rally in Park City, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Kansas said. According to the charging document, an Oct. 15 Crime Stoppers tip alerted investigators to Facebook comments beneath local television stations' stories about the visit, including “Let's shoot Trump,” a claim of obtaining ammunition and a statement that he had “mapped out roofs” around the event. Read was arrested Oct. 17 in Clearwater and remained in federal custody pending a detention hearing, with no attorney listed in federal court records as of Monday afternoon. The Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita Police Department investigated. The public tip led to an arrest two days before the presidential visit, and U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser said “political violence and threats of political violence will not be tolerated.” Read is presumed innocent, and a conviction could carry up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney's Office · FOX4 · KSNT · The Spokesman-Review

Johnson County Turnout Nears 2024 as Sedgwick Voting Opens

OLATHE, Kan. — About 12,600 people voted in person in Johnson County on Saturday, Oct. 17, its first day of early voting, compared with about 14,500 on the first Saturday in 2024, Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt told KCTV5 on Monday. Schmidt compared participation in the state's most populous county to a presidential election year, although this year's ballot features an open governor's seat and a toss-up U.S. Senate race without a presidential contest. The county has 12 early-voting sites, down from 18 in 2024, when more than 209,000 voters cast early ballots. Sedgwick County, which includes Wichita, opened in-person voting Monday, Oct. 19, after advance voting began statewide Oct. 14, with counties setting their own in-person opening dates. Advance voting allows voters to cast ballots by mail or in person before Election Day, and in-person advance voting ends at noon Monday, Nov. 2. The early totals measure participation rather than candidate support and will change daily, with the secretary of state's office promising daily updates through Election Day as the campaigns enter their final two weeks.

KCTV5 · Sedgwick County · Kansas Secretary of State

Investors Propose Topeka Rare-Earth Manufacturing Hub

TOPEKA, Kan. — Investors have proposed a “Great Plains Defense Autonomy Hub” west of Topeka Regional Airport to extract rare earth elements, manufacture magnets and electric motors, and recycle waste, according to Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority board materials reported by KSNT on Oct. 16. The investors hold some intellectual property for a process that leaches rare earths from coal dust left by coal-fired power plants, airport authority official Curtis Sneden said. Rare earth elements are metals used in powerful magnets for electric motors, drones, wind turbines, phones and military equipment, and China dominates the global supply. Sneden said the hub could address a “strategic vulnerability” in drone and defense supply chains, bringing production to Topeka as the federal government seeks to rebuild domestic supplies. The U.S. Department of Energy has funded research into recovering minerals from coal waste, but no independent review of the investors' process has been reported. The proposal follows the authority's airport data center pitch for the south side by several weeks, and KSNT reported no investment total or job estimate, with no agreement or approval announced.

KSNT · KMAJ · Yahoo News · U.S. Department of Energy

Sources

1. Citizen Journal
2. Kansas Reflector / KCUR / KMUW / KSN / KWCH / KCTV5 / Kansas Reflector Fact Check / KWCH / KSN
3. U.S. Attorney's Office / FOX4 / KSNT / The Spokesman-Review
4. KCTV5 / KCTV5 / KCTV5 / Sedgwick County / Kansas Secretary of State
5. KSNT / KMAJ / Yahoo News / U.S. Department of Energy

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