Kansas
Kansas Congress Members Express Alarm at Lethal Force by Federal Agents
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt of Kansas expressed various shades of alarm about fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents taking part in an aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
The death Saturday of Alex Pretti, who worked as a nurse for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, followed the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, which set off widespread protests.
“I am deeply troubled by the shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents. Our constitution provides citizens protection from the government. We have a right to free speech, to peaceably assemble and to bear arms,” said Moran, a Republican who has served Kansans in Washington for three decades.
He said people in the United States expected government to thwart lawless behavior, including illegal immigration. He said that job required local, state and federal officials to work together on upholding the law.
“Law enforcement must reflect our nation’s values and citizens should obey the law,” said Moran, an attorney. “This tragic circumstance should be investigated to the fullest extent to ensure transparency and accountability.”
Davids, a Democrat representing the 3rd District of eastern Kansas, said she was “angry and heartbroken” by Pretti’s death. She said “this shouldn’t be who we are as a country” and urged the administration of President Donald Trump to halt the bloodshed.
“People should feel safe in their own communities, but right now families are afraid to leave their homes and communities are living in fear,” she said. “One killing is too many, but after two fatal shootings in recent weeks, this administration must answer for what happened and take immediate, concrete action to stop the senseless killing.”
Davids, also an attorney, said local law enforcement should be left to protect neighborhoods without the overbearing presence of “masked, militarized federal agents operating with zero transparency.”
Sustaining rule of law
Schmidt, the Kansas Republican serving his first term as 2nd District congressman, said U.S. immigration law had to be enforced in a manner respectful of constitutional boundaries. He said deadly shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis required rigorous investigation.
“In my view, there needs to be a transparent and thorough review and factfinding regarding the officer involved shootings in Minnesota — as there should be in every officer involved shooting anywhere,” said Schmidt, who served a dozen years as Kansas’ attorney general. “Enforcing the law professionally and with clear focus and common sense is vital to public confidence in the rule of law.”
Schmidt said reported actions by some federal officials and the alleged lack of cooperation among state officials was distressing. Difficulty enforcing U.S. immigration law was tied to decisions by President Joe Biden to allow millions of people into the country “illegally,” the congressman said.
Schmidt said Congress must fund body cameras and better training for personnel at U.S. Immigration and Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He said he would continue to raise questions about use by ICE or CBP of administrative, rather than judicial, warrants to enter homes.
Three Republicans in the Kansas congressional delegation — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes — didn’t respond to requests for comment about violence in Minnesota.
Christy Davis, a Democrat from Cottonwood Falls seeking to oust Marshall in 2026, said video images of federal agents confronting Pretti should challenge the government’s use of lethal force. She said the Trump administration had to be held accountable for unnecessary loss of life.
“If Senator Marshall is unwilling to call out the Trump administration for the use of militarized force against people in our communities, then he is failing in his duty as a U.S. senator,” Davis said. “The footage is horrifying and impossible to justify. This was not about public safety. It was unchecked violence carried out by a system that has abandoned accountability.”
‘Armed thugs’
Don Coover, a Democrat from Galesburg campaigning this year to challenge Schmidt in the 2nd District, said the federal crackdown ended up targeting people exercising constitutional rights of assembly and speech, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to a fair and speedy trial, and the right to bear arms. He placed responsibility for failed leadership in Minneapolis with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
“As a West Point graduate and Army veteran, I am appalled at what we are seeing in our own country,” he said. “Apparently, ICE is now a band of out-of-control armed thugs that feel they are free to shoot American citizens that they violently disarm. The leaders of ICE and DHS feel free to make up stories unrelated to the facts that justify the execution of citizens they encounter in the streets.”
He asserted federal officials were acting “brazenly and openly” outside the law because Congress and the courts were “apparently afraid to fulfill their obligations.”
In the 4th District held by Estes, Democratic candidate Chris Carmichael said he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the deaths of Pretti and Good. He said the U.S. Constitution couldn’t be abandoned simply because a federal agent chose to detain someone.
“We all know right from wrong and what is happening is simply wrong,” said Carmichael, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. “What we are seeing from our current representatives right now would never be acceptable in the military. When lives are at stake, silence is not neutrality — it is failure.”
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Story via Kansas Reflector
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – A Kansas inmate will spend more time behind bars after a dispute over an extra slice of pizza turned physical.
Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson announced on Wednesday, March 25, that Wyatt C. Parnell, 42, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 16 additional months.
Prosecutors indicated that the sentence is the result of an attempt to assault a corrections officer during a December 2019 dining hall confrontation.
What Happened
Court records noted that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2019 – the day after Christmas – in the facility’s maximum-security dining room.
According to prosecutors, Parnell entered the dining hall, picked up a dinner tray and grabbed an extra slice of pizza from a separate tray.
A corrections officer repeatedly ordered him to put the tray down and leave the area; however, court documents revealed that Parnell refused.
When the officer moved to retrieve the tray and again ordered Parnell to leave, prosecutors said he yanked the tray away and threw it on the floor.
Parnell then tried to push past the officer to reach the serving line for another tray, according to court records.
The officer reported that they attempted to detain Parnell, but he resisted, leading to a physical fight.
The Charges & Sentence
Court records indicated that Parnell pleaded no contest to attempted aggravated battery. His new sentence will run consecutively – meaning it is added to the sentence he is already serving.
“Correctional facilities rely on order and compliance to maintain safety for both staff and inmates,” Thompson said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of disregarding lawful commands and engaging in behavior that puts others at risk.”
Parnell’s Criminal History
Corrections records show that Parnell was already serving time for:
- Kidnapping
- Aggravated battery
- Two counts of criminal threat
Prison records also show a lengthy disciplinary history, including violations for:
- Contraband possession
- Fighting
- Threats
- Lewd acts
- Entering restricted areas
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Kansas firefighters rescue chubby cat trapped in massive recliner while trying to hide from the vet
This cat was feeling stuck.
A fat cat was nearly devoured by an unforgiving reclining chair as it desperately tried to evade its owner and got stuck ahead of an annual visit to the vet — forcing rescuing firefighters to destroy the lounger.
The Garfield lookalike summoned all its strength to avoid its owner ahead of a trip to the veterinarian on Saturday, when it somehow managed to wedge itself in the metal base of a mechanical recliner — which was full of sharp springs and hinges, photos shared by the Overland Park Police Department show.
It appeared to be mewling for help while one firefighter cradled its hind legs and another tended to one front paw. The pussycat then clung to the metal grate with its other paw, not daring to take its beady eyes off a screwdriver in the firefighter’s hand.
The cat’s pudgy belly, jutted out as the recliner’s leg threatened to crush its chest.
Firefighters had to saw the chair in half to free the feline with assistance from animal control.
Police assured that, once the cat was safe, it “arrived to the vet for its annual checkup.”
Feline fanatics weren’t surprised by the orange cat’s brainless bolt for freedom.
“Glad the kitty was safe!!! They will do anything to avoid a visit to the vet!!!!” one woman commented on the police department’s Instagram post.
“Anyone who has an orange cat knows this is just standard #oneorangebraincell life,” another added.
“RIP mechanical recliner,” one user mourned.
In 2024, a 38-pound rescue cat named Crumbs got stuck in a shoe rack while trying to break out of fat camp.
In the viral snapshot of Crumbs’ ignominy, it laid face-down in a blue Croc shoe while its bulbous belly hung between the slots in the rack.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift always know what time it is.
The football player signed a deal to return to the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday (a reported three-year, $54.735 million contract at that), and debuted a special timepiece for the occasion.
Along with his colorful Nike soccer shirt and Chiefs hat, 36-year-old Kelce wore a Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch featuring an open (or “skeletonized”) dial, which retails for a whopping $77,000.
While this appears to be the first time the Super Bowl winner has worn the style (he’s partial to Rolexes), his fiancée owns a different watch from the Santos de Cartier collection.
In December 2024, she showed off a Santos Demoiselle featuring a diamond bezel — and later wore the discontinued style when Kelce proposed in August 2025.
It’s unclear if the watch was a gift from Kelce, but she began wearing it after her milestone 35th birthday. Sources told Page Six at the time that Kelce “showered” her with presents for the occasion — including engraved jewelry.
The Demoiselle was launched in 2008 and discontinued in 2022 — so whoever purchased Swift’s bling got it on the secondhand market, where similar pieces go for around $25,000.
As if the coordinating Cartier wasn’t enough, Kelce proved Swift was on his mind when he signed up for his 14th season with the Chiefs, taking the time to acknowledge a photo of his fiancée in Arrowhead Stadium as he walked in to seal the deal.
Perhaps the couple will choose Cartier Love rings as their wedding bands.
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