When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached out to ask if they could honor my daughter Katie through ”Operation Midway Blitz,” I had questions. I couldn’t agree to anything in my daughter’s name sight unseen. But after speaking with DHS and understanding the goals of this operation — to enforce the laws that are supposed to protect families like mine and to amplify Katie’s tragic story — I was convinced that her death would not be in vain.
Katie was violently killed on Jan. 19, 2025, in a way no parent should ever have to imagine. She was a passenger in a car stopped at a red light when an illegal alien, driving drunk at nearly 80 miles per hour, slammed into the back of their vehicle. The driver, Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national in the country illegally and using false Mexican identification, stole from us a bright, loving young woman with her whole life ahead of her.
Adding to the horror of that night, after violently destroying the car and the lives inside it, he fled the scene — without a second thought to the people he had just maimed and killed. He didn’t try to render aid. He didn’t call for help. He ran, selfishly and cowardly, leaving others to face the devastation he caused.
That’s the true measure of the man who should never have been in our country to begin with.
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DHS MARKS ‘ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT DAYS’ OF OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ WITH SEVERAL ARRESTS
DHS launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunken-driving, hit-and-run car wreck caused by a criminal illegal alien in sanctuary Illinois.(Department of Homeland Security)
It seems painfully simple: if this man had not been allowed into our country against federal law, he would not have been on that road, and my daughter would be alive today. If Illinois had real leadership willing to prioritize public safety over politics — and if the state hadn’t doubled down on the sanctuary policies that shielded this coward — Katie might still be with us.
For months, I’ve been saying that it’s far easier to prevent chaos on the front end than to clean up tragedies like mine on the back end. An ounce of prevention always beats a pound of cure. I’ve consistently challenged Illinois politicians to explain how they had planned to balance public safety with their open-border and sanctuary policies. The silence has been deafening.
And I’ve asked repeatedly: what controls or audit processes were ever put in place once Illinois politicians opened the back door to anyone and everyone? Who was making sure our communities were safe? Who was tracking who came in, where they were going, or how they were being supported?
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OUTRAGE ERUPTS AFTER BOOZED-UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY MOWS DOWN BLUE STATE COUPLE – ‘HOW MANY MORE?’
Instead of acting with compassion or foresight, Illinois leaders encouraged and even incentivized illegal immigration, sending a dangerous message that anyone could come here without consequence. That’s not compassion — that’s cruelty. It shows no regard for the safety of residents and no empathy for the struggles, abuse and exploitation suffered by the very people making that perilous journey.
After Katie’s death, I met with dozens of DHS and ICE agents and support staff in Chicago. I also sat down with Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and we spoke at length about how open-border policies are tearing apart our communities. The contrast couldn’t have been more stark. I was struck by their professionalism, compassion and dedication. These men and women are not the villains that some politicians and activists make them out to be. They are Americans trying to do their jobs — to restore order and balance after years of dangerous neglect. Each of the dozens of men and women I met were competent, professional and deeply committed to keeping our communities safer.
I can’t help but wonder if any of ICE’s critics have ever taken the time to sit across from one of these agents or staff members. If they did, I believe they’d see what I saw: dedicated Americans working tirelessly to make our communities safer.
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Illinois politicians have shown no such compassion. They ignored Katie’s story because acknowledging it would mean admitting the failures of their policies. It appears their silence is not about grief or guilt — it’s about political self-preservation. Maintaining inflated census numbers and congressional seats seems to matter more than protecting innocent lives.
Instead of acting with compassion or foresight, Illinois leaders encouraged and even incentivized illegal immigration, sending a dangerous message that anyone could come here without consequence.
Katie lost her life to their cynical game of Russian roulette. And with her, we lost everything she might have become — her future, her chance to marry, to have children. I will never walk her down the aisle. I will never hold her children. Those are the real consequences of failed leadership.
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Our current Illinois politicians should slink away in shame, never to hold any public office ever again.
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That’s why I support “Operation Midway Blitz,” because it’s time to bring accountability back to our immigration system. It’s time to put the safety of Americans ahead of political games. And it’s time to honor Katie — not just with words, but with action.
Joe Abraham is the father of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunken-driving accident by an illegal alien.
BEECHER CITY, Ill. (WAND) – Farms were damaged in Effingham County Wednesday evening when a powerful storm swept through at around 8 p.m.
The McKay Farm in Beecher City was heavily damaged when the rapidly moving storm hit.
“Two buildings were totally destroyed,” Dan McKay told WAND News on Thursday. “We’ve got five grain bins and they’re all damaged.”
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The buildings collapsed onto farm equipment and a semi that were parked in the structures. A utility pole was snapped and ripped out of the ground.
In nearby Shumway, another farm was hit. A barn collapsed, with a grain bin being ripped apart and debris traveling several hundred feet through a nearby corn field. A house on the property was also damaged.
Gov. Mike Braun asked state regulators to reconsider their decision to greenlight a $71 million rate increase for AES Indiana, doubling down on his condemnation of a move that could leave Indianapolis residents with higher electrical bills for years.
Braun wrote in a June 18 news release that he had asked Indiana Utility Counselor Abby Gray, who heads the office representing ratepayers in proceedings before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, to petition for a rehearing of the AES rate case.
Gray indicated in the release that her office would submit the petition shortly. No petition had been posted on the IURC’s online docket as of this story’s publication.
The rate increase, which was approved by the IURC on June 17, was substantially less than the $192 million increase that AES initially requested. It was also less than the amount proposed in a settlement last October between AES and major electricity consumers.
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But the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, which Gray leads, came out strongly against any increase to AES’s base rates. In September, the OUCC called for a $21 million reduction instead.
As the Republican Party grapples with rising discontent over affordability, Braun has used opposition to rising utility rates to telegraph that he’s committed to keeping costs down for Indiana residents. He signed a law in February that allows the state to make rate-setting decisions that reward or penalize utilities based on metrics including affordability.
In March, he told reporters that he would take on Indiana’s five investor-owned utilities, describing himself as the “new sheriff in town.”
And after the IURC voted 3-1 to approve the AES rate increase, he wrote in a post to X that he was “deeply disappointed.”
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Braun wrote in the June 18 news release that he had appointed Gray, a longtime OUCC lawyer and judge, to her current post because he knew she “would help me fight for Hoosiers.”
According to AES’s estimates, the rate increase will cost households an additional $5 per month for every 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity they use, beginning in July. A second hike will take effect in January.
Tilly Robinson is a Pulliam fellow for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at tilly.robinson@indystar.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
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52% from Kansas or Missouri
33% from the United States
15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
Stadium Direct: 57,302
Regional Direct: 17,284
Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
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After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
People sit outside on the patio in Bisou Kansas City, after its owner asked for more support during the World Cup.(KCTV5 News)
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Flags wave outside of Buffalo State Pizza in Kansas City, Missouri during the World Cup.(KCTV5 News)
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
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Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Dear Society in Kansas City, Missouri, is described as an experiential retail concept by the owner.(KCTV5 News)
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
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Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
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“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
