Midwest
Satanic group defies Kansas officials, plans 'black mass' at state Capitol
A group of self-described Satanists plans to stage a “black mass” inside the Kansas State Capitol, despite recent attempts by the governor and a group of bipartisan lawmakers to block it.
The Satanic Grotto, a registered nonprofit that describes itself as an “independent and non-denominational Satanic church,” intends to hold its demonstration at the state Capitol on March 28. According to founder Michael Stewart, the event initially drew little attention, until allegations surfaced that he stole consecrated bread from a local Catholic church for use in the “black mass” ceremony.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, issued an order on March 12 barring The Satanic Grotto from entering the State House for its planned March 28 demonstration. That order was subsequently followed up by a modification of the State House’s building and grounds policies, led by a group of bipartisan state legislators.
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“There are more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols,” Kelly said in an announcement about The Satanic Grotto’s “black mass” event.
In Satanist traditions, a “black mass” ceremony sometimes involves the desecration of the consecrated Eucharist, as was recounted online by Monsignor Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 2014. Landry pointed out that, at the time, the New York Satanic Temple’s website described the black mass as a “perversion of the Catholic Mass” and posited that a consecrated host gets “corrupted by sexual fluids” during the ritual.
Michael Stewart and The Satanic Grotto intend to move forward with their planned “black mass” demonstration at the Kansas State Capitol despite efforts from public officials to squash the event. (GETTY | Satanic Grotto)
A lawsuit brought by the bishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Joseph Naumann, alleged Stewart admitted on social media to stealing the consecrated Eucharist. The lawsuit also alleged members of The Satanic Grotto sent threatening letters to lawmakers.
“The First Amendment does not protect criminal conduct,” Senate President Ty Masterson told the Kansas Reflector this week. “Recent statements from an organization – which pledged to engage in such conduct – necessitated a thoughtful review of policies to ensure the safety of all those visiting our State Capitol.”
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Stewart, in an interview with Fox News Digital, did not deny the accusations that he was the owner of a social media account that admitted to taking the host. Stewart said that while he and his group may have sent rude letters to lawmakers in the past, none of them were threatening. An evidentiary hearing in the case took place Thursday, and it was ultimately dismissed after Stewart denied the allegations, he said.
Michael Stewart, founder of the Kansas-based group “The Satanic Grotto” (Michael Stewart/The Satanic Grotto)
Stewart promised to proceed with his demonstration at the Capitol on March 28, despite orders attempting to block it, even if it leads to his arrest. He expects to be joined by two or three other members of The Satanic Grotto but has urged unaffiliated supporters looking to confront public officials or law enforcement to stay back.
“It’s come up a lot lately that we’re going to storm the Capitol. And because [critics] see that one of our specific laws of the grotto speaks to violence, that we’re a violent organization. Neither one of those things are true,” Stewart said. “We’re going to the Capitol non-violently. This is not going to be January 6th. This is going to be a 1960s civil rights act. We’re not going to be literally slinging fecal matter on the walls.”
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The Kansas State Capitol is in central Topeka and is surrounded by over 20 acres of park-like grounds. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Stewart said that the idea of the “black mass” demonstration in Topeka stemmed from the group wanting “to build a church that matches how Kansans define Satanism.”
“Part of that is activism,” Stewart said. “We started following different groups and counterprotests, and inevitably they all ended up at the Capitol, one way or another.”
However, Stewart noted, the groups making use of their First Amendment rights by protesting at the Capitol were mostly all Christian groups “holding pictures of mutilated babies inside of our Capitol, holding prayers, holding praise and worship sessions, very openly, very boldly, consistently.”
“I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anybody else do anything. And it just occurred to me, I was like, ‘Man, these guys are the only ones taking advantage of their rights.’”
Kelly’s office declined to comment on the situation when reached for comment, pointing Fox News Digital to a March 12 statement about the event.
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LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 19, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 19 drawing
13-16-21-26-50, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 19 drawing
02-20-28-51-54, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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