Kansas
Producers closely following developments as Kansas exports could take hit from tariffs
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – There’s been a lot to follow with the promised rollout of tariffs and what their implementation could mean for U.S. trade with Mexico, Canada and China. If the tariffs go into effect, businesses and consumers are expected to feel the impact with two of Kansas’ biggest trade partners on the receiving end. While many unknowns and changes are unfolding, Canada, Mexico and China have said if the U.S. imposes tariffs on their nation’s goods, they would impose their own. That could impact Kansas’ biggest exports, aviation and agriculture.
For Clearwater farmer and producer Max Tjaden the daily work keeping him busy before the fields are ready includes keeping up with national news and what to prepare for.
“Got up [Monday] morning thinking, ‘Well, okay, [tariffs are] going to go into effect,’” Tjaden said. “The markets were down, not as much as I thought the would be, and then I just looked a little bit and now they’re all up, eight to 16 cents, depending on which grain it is.”
Although the tariffs on Mexico and Canada paused, the United States’ northern and southern neighbors are critical export markets for U.S. and Kansas agriculture. The nation as a whole and the state of Kansas are also sources of imports, including fertilizer from Canada.
“Big agriculture exchange going on, as well as just parts for farm equipment, tractors,” Tjaden said.
2023 Kansas Department of Commerce data shows that Mexico, Canada, Japan, China and South Korea were the top destinations for the state’s exports, aviation parts, meats and grains. The biggest component, which could be targeted if tariffs are placed on U.S. goods.
“What’s unusual about this is President Trump is going after first and foremost, our biggest allies, said Newman University Associate Professor of Management Dr. Larry Straub.
Straub said that if the U.S.’s proposed tariffs go into effect, that’s money that American businesses and potentially consumers will have to pay.
“Businesses sometimes will try to shield consumers from that for a short period or partially, but particularly for a 25% tax, you can’t do that for very long, if at all,” he said.
Tjaden said he can’t remember a significant impact from the tariffs in Trump’s first administration and sees their use now as more of a bargaining tool.
“A big deficit to the advantage of Canada and Mexico and other countries as well, and I think that’s probably what their plan is to get things a lot more equal than it is,” he said.
President Trump said he’s using tariffs to not just affect trade, but also immigration and illicit drugs.
Looking at the impact of tariffs in Trump’s first term, a USDA report from 2022 looked at retaliatory tariffs on US ag that happened in 2018, after the president’s first use of tariffs. The report sad that this led to a reduction in ag exports to the countries issuing the tariffs. For Kansas, that was about $1 billion, a 7% decrease.
Copyright 2025 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com
Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a missing man.
Jacob Phillips, 30, was last talked to around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.
Phillips is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes, according to KCPD.
Police said his family is concerned for his well-being.
If anyone sees Phillips, they are urged to call the KCPD Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5043 or 911.
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Kansas
Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window
A Kansas State University freshman died after he fell from a fraternity house window — just weeks away from the end of the semester.
Jack Fleischaker, 19, plunged from a second-floor window at the Sigma Chi house on the Manhattan, Kan., campus around 3:15 a.m. on April 25.
He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but died three days later, according to the Riley County Police Department.
Police are investigating exactly how the fatal fall unfolded, but said foul play is not suspected.
“RCPD extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and the K-State community during this very tragic time,” the department said in a statement to People.
The fraternity said Fleischaker’s death appears to be accidental.
“This was a heartbreaking accident, and there is no indication that anyone is at fault,” Sigma Chi International Fraternity spokesperson Michael Church said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are actively supporting the chapter with mental health and wellness resources and are grateful for the assistance provided by Kansas State University’s administration as well.”
Fleischaker, from Overland Park, Kan., was studying accounting and finance and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, according to his LinkedIn and Instagram profiles.
As police continue to investigate, Kansas State University said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The university has offered support to the family and has also offered assistance and student support resources to the fraternity members,” spokesperson Michelle Geering said in a statement to the Kansas City Star.
“We are reviewing available information to determine the next steps in accordance with our policies and procedures.”
The horrifying incident comes four years after Sigma Chi’s University of Kansas chapter was shut down by its national organization in 2022 over hazing violations and lying about it.
There have been no recent hazing reports involving the Kansas State chapter, according to the Kansas City Star.
Friends and family are reeling from the sudden loss.
“This is a tragic accident that nobody anticipated,” family pastor and friend Gar Demo told KMBC.
“Every trajectory in their life has changed in an instant,” he added.
Demo said the family has faced devastating loss before. Fleischaker’s sister Natalie died 13 years ago from a brain tumor.
“[The family] went through the incredible pain of losing a child then, and I think they’re asking the question,” Demo said.
“All of us who know them are asking, why did this happen? How could this happen to this family?”
“I think to walk with them again in a different kind of situation but still to lose another child is just not something I have a playbook for,” he said.
“But we walk with our faith and we walk there and we show our strength with them and surround them with the love that we can share.”
In the days after the fall, hundreds gathered at the hospital to say their goodbyes, according to KAKE News.
Fleischaker was an organ donor and is expected to help save lives.
Kansas
Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man had his conviction in the 2021 killing of a Wichita teen upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday.
In a unanimous opinion, the court says that there was plenty of evidence to convict Tyler Kelly and that he had a fair trial.
Kelly was found guilty by a Sedgwick County jury in 2023 of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault in the July 17, 2021, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Florence. Court records show Kelly and a 16-year-old broke into Florence’s home to confront him over a girl.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder. He also got 43 months for aggravated burglary and 13 months for aggravated assault.
The judge ordered that he serve the 25 years, plus the additional 56 months before he could be considered for parole.
Kelly appealed his conviction. He argued there was not enough evidence to prove he entered Florence’s home illegally or intended to commit a crime, and he made claims of multiple incidents of prosecutorial error. He also argued that the jury should have been given use-of-force instructions to support his self-defense claim.
In an opinion written by Justice Larkin Walsh, the court says there is more than sufficient evidence that Kelly entered the home illegally with intent to assault Florence. The justices determined that Kelly received a fair trial that was free from prosecutorial error.
“We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm these convictions,” the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “This ruling brings a final measure of justice to the victims and their families, and it validates the hard work of our prosecutors and local law enforcement in securing this conviction.”
Kelly is currently housed in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with an earliest possible release date of May 1, 2048, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
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