mary sanchez

Syndicated Columnist/Tribune KCStar and KansasCityPBS alum Mentor @Report4America [email protected]

[The Associated Press @AP]

Democrats’ confidence in election results has fallen, and about 9 in 10 see presidents' attempts to influence results as a major problem, a new AP-NORC poll finds. https://t.co/bRrGkDGiyF

[FOX4 News Kansas City @fox4kc]

Children’s Mercy has announced that it will no longer be an in-network provider for families with ACA Marketplace coverage.

https://t.co/8LvcaED6M3

[Wichita Police @WichitaPolice]

TWO KILLED, 10 INJURED AFTER PICKUP DRIVES ONTO SOCCER FIELDS AT STRYKER SPORTS COMPLEX

WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita Police Department is investigating a crash that killed two people, including a 6-year-old boy, and injured 10 others Saturday afternoon after a pickup truck drove onto soccer fields at Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita.

At approximately 3:25 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, Sedgwick County 911 received multiple calls reporting that a vehicle had driven onto soccer fields at Stryker Sports Complex, 2999 N. Greenwich Road, striking several people.

The preliminary investigation indicates a Chevrolet pickup driven by a 34-year-old woman was parked in a parking space near the soccer fields before it drove onto one of the fields, striking multiple children and adults.

Two juveniles, both children of the driver, were inside the pickup at the time of the crash. The driver also had another child who was playing soccer on another field at the complex.

Emergency personnel responded and immediately began providing medical care to those injured. Despite lifesaving efforts, two people died at the scene. They have been identified as 6-year-old Adrian Cole and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer, both of McPherson, Kansas. The two victims were not related.

Ten people injured in the crash were transported to Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center with injuries described as noncritical. An additional 61-year-old woman was transported after experiencing medical complications unrelated to traumatic injuries, bringing the total number of people transported to local hospitals to 11.

The ages and genders of the 10 people injured in the crash are:

A 5-year-old girl
A 5-year-old boy
Two 8-year-old boys
A 9-year-old girl
A 28-year-old woman
A 32-year-old man
A 59-year-old woman
A 65-year-old woman
A 68-year-old man

Investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses to the incident, including the two juveniles who were inside the pickup at the time of the crash, before interviewing the driver.

Following the interviews, investigators consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office. The 34-year-old driver was subsequently released pending the results of toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the vehicle. No charges have been filed at this time, and investigators continue working to determine the circumstances that led to the crash.

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan expressed his condolences to the families, and everyone affected by the tragedy.

"Our hearts are with the families of Adrian and Nicholas as they face an unimaginable loss. What should have been a day of children playing soccer and families spending time together ended in tragedy," Sullivan said. "We are also thinking about those who were injured, their loved ones and everyone who witnessed what happened. We know this tragedy has affected many people throughout our community, and we want those families to know they are not alone. Our officers and investigators will continue working to understand exactly what happened."

The Wichita Police Department also extends its sincere appreciation to the community members who immediately stepped forward to help those injured before emergency crews arrived. During an incredibly difficult situation, their willingness to help others demonstrated the compassion and care within our community.

Responding agencies included the Wichita Police Department, Wichita Fire Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, Sedgwick County EMS and Bel Aire Police Department.

Mental Health and Community Support Resources

We recognize that a tragedy like this can have a lasting emotional impact on the families involved, those who witnessed the incident, first responders and others throughout our community. We encourage anyone who may be struggling with what happened to reach out for support.

Mental health services are available through Sedgwick County COMCARE. Anyone needing emotional support can also call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, to speak with a trained crisis counselor and receive information about available resources.

The Wichita Police Department's investigation remains active. Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact WPD investigators at 316-268-4407. Anonymous tips can also be provided through Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Case number: 26C200415

[KAKE News @KAKEnews]

Deb Farris shares the latest updates on the tragedy that killed two and injured 11 others.

Link in bio

#KAKEnews #Wichita #breaking

[Mike Smith @USWeatherExpert]

Update on mass casualty incident in Wichita.

"Wichita Police Capt. Aaron Moses said the driver of the truck is a 34-year-old woman from Garden City. She is currently police custody. Two girls who were in the car with her at the time of the deadly accident. He would not say what happened to the children or where they are now." -- KWCH TV

Wichita police said a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man, both from McPherson, died Saturday afternoon after a truck plowed onto a field during a soccer game at the Stryker Sports Complex in east Wichita.

The two were not related, police said.

Eleven other people were taken to the hospital with traumatic injuries. Police released their ages. They include a 5-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, two 8-year-old boys, a 9-year-old girl, a 28-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man, a 59-year-old woman, a 65-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man. A 61-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for medical, non-traumatic treatment.

8:20p, KWCH TV

[Christiane Amanpour @amanpour]

In her new book, Kerry Kennedy traces the life of her mother, Ethel Kennedy, including the trauma of RFK’s assassination and a lifetime of activism.

“All of us… continue to experience PTSD,” from her father’s killing, Kerry tells me. But her parents and uncle also taught her the value of public service: they “believed that one person could make a difference and that each of us should try.”

[Laiken Jordahl @LaikenJordahl]

Border wall contractors are planning to bulldoze thousands of saguaro cactuses along the southern end of the sovereign Tohono O'odham Nation, starting immediately. Cutting down a saguaro would land you or me in jail with a felony — but armed with sweeping legal waivers, DHS plans to obliterate thousands of them with impunity.

“Trespassing on our land to remove the sacred saguaros is like having masked men break into your house and take away your children,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose said in a statement. “The ha:sañ [saguaro] are our family, as much a part of us as any blood relative. To destroy them by the thousands carves a wound in our hearts that will not heal.”

I took this video at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in 2020, where I used to work for the National Park Service before returning to document wall construction tearing through the Sonoran Desert. I filmed hundreds of these ancient desert sentinels plowed over without a thought. The Tohono O'odham Nation is now bracing for a far worse version of what we saw at Organ Pipe, where they were only building one wall. On O'odham land, they're fighting to build two.

[Shannon Watts @shannonrwatts]

The Oregon teen shooter who killed three students and one teacher at an elementary school yesterday was armed with a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother. https://t.co/82fX7YvkvQ

[The Associated Press @AP]

A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an Oregon elementary school, then tackled and fought with him — likely saving lives before he was shot by a father who followed him into the building, police said Friday. https://t.co/HnmqiZaQWb

[CNN @CNN]

New filings with the Federal Election Commission are shedding light on tech billionaire Elon Musk's heavy influence on the 2026 midterm elections, especially the blockbuster Senate race in Texas. https://t.co/DUW28rugWm

[mary sanchez @msanchezcolumn]

“There’s a lot of laws that people hear about having in other states, and they assume that we have them here in #Kansas,” Bergman said. “We don’t.”
‘Kansas is behind’: Advocates say state needs stronger laws to prevent abuse in schools https://t.co/ICU0zorurC

[The Beacon | Kansas City @thebeaconKC]

The Kansas Legislature has yet to pass Erin’s Law, mandating child abuse prevention education, and other laws advocates say could strengthen protections for children. https://t.co/CskPJuNyNw

[Yvonne Wingett Sanchez @yvonnewingett]

Driving through Arizona on a Saturday morning, I saw a line of cars nearly a mile long stopped along a high-desert highway. I slowed, thinking there had been an accident. Then I realized that all of those people were waiting in line for food.

Weeks later, I went back to try to understand what was going on: Going Hungry in Trump’s Economy
The president said the “American dream is back.” Rural Arizonans don’t think so.

https://t.co/Jt02vx5OYp

[mary sanchez @msanchezcolumn]

A Kansas City girl's death sparked calls for safer roads. One year later, what's changed? https://t.co/uZ4wbPnCHM

[mary sanchez @msanchezcolumn]

https://t.co/JwJguRFlhz

[Eric Graves @EricGravesKMBC]

BREAKING: The Chiefs STAR Bond district has been published. Incremental sales tax revenues from Kansas City, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Shawnee, Lenexa and Olathe will be collected to pay off the Chiefs new stadium and practice facility. @kmbc

[The Associated Press @AP]

The Vatican says surgery confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and the lower lobe of his right lung was removed. https://t.co/Nm2hAye4fM

[CNN @CNN]

Duane “Keffe D” Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life for the murder of Tupac Shakur 30 years ago. He has 731 days of credit for time already served toward his sentence. https://t.co/VC9MFauU2Q

[Brennan Leach @brennanleach]

At the 1st stop on the KS GOP bus tour, Roger Marshall got out of a separate car, boarded the bus, then walked off the bus waving to supporters

After he spoke, an event organizer tells me he left thru the back door of the venue in a separate car again

Marshall called Hamilton “the most radical liberal Democrat to ever make it thru a primary in the state of Kansas.”