KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas  woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to being part of a drug ring that distributed methamphetamine from Mexico in the Kansas City metro area, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Karen Ortega, 41, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine from premises in which children reside.

In her plea, she admitted working out of her home in the 3000 block of North 34th Street in Kansas City, Kan., where she and her minor children lived. A search warrant at the residence turned up approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.8 pounds of heroin and more than $230,000 in cash.

In her plea, she admitted federal investigators had her under surveillance when she met another conspirator in a Wal-Mart parking lot at 10824 Parallel Parkway and sold almost two pounds of methamphetamine for $4,500.

Sentencing is set for May 7. She faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hunting violation.

The Sedgwick County Game Warden is asking for assistance concerning a pile of ducks and geese left around North 199th Street West and West 4th Street North, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens.

Some of the waterfowl are breasted out, some are not. If you have information concerning this incident call 316-215-2119.

SALINA — The Board of Trustees  at St. John’s Military School in Salina announced Wednesday that the school will not reopen after the current year.

According to a media release, St. John’s will continue to operate through May 11 culminating with a celebration of its rich history during Commencement Weekend. Until that time, the education and leadership opportunities offered to cadets will remain robust and daily routines will be maintained.

Considerable research, thought, contemplation, discussion, and prayer has factored into this arduous decision. For over 131 years, St. John’s has been a school dedicated to helping young men grow spiritually, morally, intellectually, and physically in a safe environment.

For several years, school leaders have sought to sustain St. John’s through a variety of strategies. However, the landscape of education has changed dramatically resulting in lower enrollment and unsustainable higher costs of operations. This, combined with St. John’s having unfairly become a target for legal cases and negatively biased and misleading portrayals by some media outlets, has created an insurmountable situation that school leaders have been unable to overcome.

The Board of Trustees has chosen to make this difficult decision and announcement now in order to allow current families and staff as much time as possible to make alternative plans for the next school year. Programs are in place to offer as much assistance as possible to families placing sons in other schools, as well as assisting staff and faculty in seeking future employment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject “the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution.” He warned emboldened Democrats that “ridiculous partisan investigations” into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy.

Watch the address here.

Trump’s appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation’s capital — as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes.

Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration.

“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation,” he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent.

Looming over the president’s address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president’s plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won’t fund the wall.

Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks, though he did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall. But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open.

“I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country,” he said.

Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. The two met last summer in Singapore, though that meeting only led to a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize.

As he stood before lawmakers, the president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, will deliver the party’s response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America’s first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia.

In excerpts released ahead of Abrams’ remarks, she calls the shutdown a political stunt that “defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values.”

Trump’s address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. He said the U.S. has “the hottest economy anywhere in the world.”

He said, “The only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations” an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations.

The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump’s speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are “more women in the workforce than ever before.”

The increase is due to population growth — and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies.

Turning to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly been willing to distance themselves from the president, Trump defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan.

“Great nations do not fight endless wars,” he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to “destroy the remnants” of the Islamic State group and that he has “accelerated” efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan.

IS militants have lost territory since Trump’s surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan.

Trump’s guests for the speech include Anna Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with first lady Melania Trump during the address.

CRAWFORD COUNTY  — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for the murder of his wife and critically injuring her grandmother.

Just after noon Monday, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute in progress at a residence located at 423 N 69 Hwy, according to Sheriff Dan Peak. The caller identified as Dorma Lemaster reported that her granddaughter identified as Brandy Delmarco was being assaulted by her husband Jeremy Delmarco.

The caller also advised that Jeremy Delmarco had cut himself on the arms. The first Deputy on scene located Brandy Delmarco and Dorma Lemaster outside of the residence. Both women had sustained serious injuries consistent with being stabbed.

The Deputy also made contact with the Jeremy Delmarco and attempted to place him into custody.

He resisted and a struggle ensued. During this time, Jeremy Delmarco failed to comply with the Deputies commands and he was tased twice.

The Deputy also stunned Mr. Delmarco several times. Mr. Delmarco recovered from the taser deployments and stun drives and continued to struggle with the Deputy.

During the struggle, Mr. Demarco’s dog also attacked the Deputy. The second Deputy arrived to assist in placing Mr. Delmarco into custody.

During that time, the dog continued to be aggressive towards the Deputies and one of Deputies was forced to shoot the dog. 

Once the scene was secure, Crawford County EMS arrived on scene and transported both victims to local hospitals. Brandy Delmarco, 37, did not survive her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

She was transported to Kansas City for an autopsy. Dorma Lemaster, 84, underwent surgery and is expected to survive.

EMS transported Jeremy Delmarco, 32, to the hospital. He was treated and released,and currently in the custody of the Crawford County Jail awaiting to be booked in on Murder in the second degree and Attempted Murder in the second degree. 

Jeremy Delmarco is presumed innocent unless and until the allegations against him are proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The first Deputy on scene also went to the hospital to be evaluated for possible injuries. He was treated and released.