Local leaders chime in after reports of ICE touring south Kansas City locations for possible detention center

CNN Newsource on January 16, 2026

By Chloe Godding & Andy Alcock

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — After rumors of a possible detention center began swirling in Kansas City this week, federal agents were spotted in south Kansas City on Thursday.

KMBC 9 saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the area of East 149th Street on Thursday morning. Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said on social media that he confirmed they are looking to build what he called a “mega detention facility.”

Plans for these possible detention facilities were first reported in the Washington Post. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., first spoke against the possible detention sites, which he said would aim to hold 8,000 immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security reportedly awarded a $29.9 million no-bid contract to an organization to carry out the plan. The DHS has not confirmed reports of these facilities.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver IIRep. Cleaver says possible immigration detention center in Kansas City will ‘degrade our society’ Cleaver strongly condemned the reported plan, saying it will “degrade our society, divide our communities, waste taxpayer dollars, and stress the civility of our institutions to the point of fracture.”

And he is not the only local leader who has expressed disapproval of the detention center, should it come to fruition.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said his office was working to verify reports of a potential detention center but that it would work to ensure that “no such facility” comes to the Kansas City area.

“I want to reaffirm our city’s commitment to being welcoming and inclusive,” Lucas said in a news release. “Kansas City has always been a place that embraces growth and opportunity, not fear and division. We believe in ensuring that all who live and visit our community feel valued and respected.”

On the other hand, some local leaders seem to think that some language and actions involving recent ICE rumors have gone too far.

Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith referenced Cleaver’s letter on the reported detention center, saying Cleaver is “stoking fear and insulting federal law enforcement efforts.”

“Such actions are inappropriate,” Smith said on social media. “Obstructing, threatening and insulting law enforcement is disgraceful. And elected officials doing so erodes any potential we have for keeping our discourse civil.”

Where could this facility be built?

Concrete plans for a detention center are not available, and may not exist yet, but one rumored location is an industrial building in the area of the 4000 block of East 149th Street.

Port KC issues a statement regarding the site of the former Richards-Gebaur Airbase and its involvement, or lack thereof, in it.

“To be clear, the building referenced was built and occupied solely as an advanced logistics and industrial facility. It is wholly owned by a private entity,” Port KC said.

Port KC said the building and the land are owned by Platform Ventures, a Kansas City-based real estate company.

“Port KC has very limited ability to disallow a sale of the facility,” Port KC continued. “Under no circumstances would Port KC offer any development support to a use that is not consistent with our mission to bring quality industrial and logistics jobs to the community.”

After speaking out against a possible ICE or DHS detention center, Lucas and the City Council approved an ordinance Thursday to block permits and licenses for any pending or future applications to establish non-municipal detention facilities in Kansas City.

The five-year moratorium applies to any application for a detention, corrections or carceral facility not owned or operated by the city. This would last through Jan. 15, 2031.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Young IU Football fan gets team invite to CFP National Championship game in Miami

CNN Newsource on January 16, 2026

By Hernan Gutierrez

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    INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A young Indiana University football super fan is gearing up for the trip of a lifetime this weekend. The team surprised him with an invitation to cheer them on in Miami for the CFP National Championship Game.

Drew Shouse has been a friend of the team for a few years now. He spent the first day of 2026 cheering his Hoosiers on in California at the Rose Bowl.

Earlier this week, he received a special message from his favorite player, IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and his teammates asking him to join them in Florida.

“Hey Drew, we knew you were with us at the Rose Bowl,” Mendoza said in the video message. “There’s no way we could go to the National Championship without you.”

He’ll be there to watch his Hoosiers battle it out against the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes for a national title.

The Decatur County native knows a thing — or three — about battles.

He has a heart condition. At 10 years old, he’s already had open-heart surgery three times.

His mom, Ashleigh Shouse says he spent his first months of life at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.

“He has severe aortic stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation,” Shouse said. “We found out about it when I was 23 weeks pregnant.”

Today, she says most people couldn’t tell he’s sick by looking at him.

In 2023, he was connected with Team IMPACT. The nonprofit matches young children with serious illnesses or disabilities to college sports teams.

Through Team Impact he’s been at IU Football practices and games. He even got to score a touchdown at the IU’s 2025 spring game.

Shouse says her son was a bit shy around the guys at first.

“They would play catch or something like that at practice or whatnot,” Shouse said. “Then he’d loosen up a little bit.”

He’s clearly made an impact on the Hoosiers, too.

Team IMPACT Development Officer Kiernan McGheen says he’s always hearing from student athletes about the program’s influence on their lives.

“They’re able to graduate and go into the world better humans because of their interactions and engagements with the kids that they’re paired with.”

For the Shouse family, it’s been a surreal experience to watch Drew grow up alongside the team.

“It’s just been the biggest blessing to get to be a part of it all,” Shouse said. “We’ve gotten to watch the transition when Curt Cignetti took over. It’s been really cool to see it all go down.”

To top it all off — Drew’s favorite NFL team is the Miami Dolphins who play at Hard Rock Stadium where the National Championship game will be played on Monday.

His family will head to Florida Saturday night.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Whose Missouri income tax plan do you like more?

KMIZ on January 16, 2026

Matthew Sanders

Democrats have an answer to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan to phase out Missouri’s income tax.

Rep. Mark Boyko (D-Kirkwood) has filed a bill that would remake Missouri’s income tax brackets to put less of the burden on lower income brackets and more on the top bracket. Meanwhile, House Speaker Jonathan Patterson has filed legislation to implement Kehoe’s plan.

Whose plan do you think is better for Missouri? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Georgia officer’s attempt to help stranded driver ends with wanted man’s arrest, police say

CNN Newsource on January 16, 2026

By Dan Raby

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    GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — A Gwinnett County officer’s attempt to help a stranded driver ended in a foot chase and the arrest of a man wanted on multiple outstanding warrants, officials say.

According to the Gwinnett County police, Officer Richard was patrolling on Nov. 7, 2025, when he noticed a vehicle that had stalled on a local road.

The driver, identified as Michael Stafford, told the officer that his vehicle was not working and that he accidentally left his driver’s license at home. While speaking to Stafford, officials say the officer reported smelling the odor of marijuana in the vehicle.

After the officer helped push the car into a nearby parking lot, Stafford left his vehicle and walked to a nearby building.

“I’ve got to pee, sir. I’ve got to pee,” Stafford is heard saying on the body camera recording.

Instead of peeing, Stafford tried to flee on foot, leading to a foot chase that ended in a nearby parking lot.

“I was just trying to help you out, bro,” the officer said while putting handcuffs on Stafford.

“I know,” Stafford replied.

Stafford was charged with possession of a Schedule I substance, possession with intent to distribute, obstruction, impeding the flow of traffic, failure to display a driver’s license, and failure to wear a seatbelt.

Investigators say they later learned that Stafford had 10 active warrants in Gwinnett County, as well as other warrants from Hancock County, Cobb County Police Department, Johns Creek Police Department, and the Atlanta Police Department.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

San Marcos shines on Senior Day as Royals dominate DP

KEYT on January 16, 2026

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Marcos High School girls water polo seniors were all smiles before the game during a pregame ceremony and Dos Pueblos didn’t do anything to dampen their spirits.

The Royals celebrated Senior Day by crushing the Chargers 18-3 turning this rivalry game into a rout.

USC-bound senior Charlotte Raisin scored four of her game-high six goals in the opening quarter to set the tone as San Marcos clinched at least a share of the Channel League title.

(Raisin scored :20 seconds into the game).

Michigan-commit Sophie Yonker scored in the first quarter as did sophomore McKenna Stuart as San Marcos jumped out to a 6-0 lead.

(Senior Sophie Yonker scored 4 goals in the game).

Harvard-bound Bethany King finished off the first quarter by blocking a penalty shot to keep DP off the scoreboard. King, a senior, also scored two goals while she was in the field.

Raisin added two more second quarter goals before sitting out most of the second half. She also added three assists and three steals.

Junior Shea Estabrook and sophomore Jade Pattison finished the game each with two goals.

The Royals led 12-0 at half and built the lead to 16-0 before the Chargers scored their first goal late in the third quarter.

The two teams are expected to meet in a few weeks in the Channel League Tournament.

Besides King, Raisin and Yonker, San Marcos also celebrated seniors Kate Crowder, Lily Gallardo, Anna Jacobsen and Loen McKenzie.

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Cal Poly falters in second half and lose at home by 20 to Hawai’i

KEYT on January 16, 2026

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Sophomore Hamad Mousa finished with a team leading 17 points Thursday evening, but the Cal Poly men’s basketball program was kept to its second lowest scoring output of the season during an 86-66 setback to Hawai’i inside Mott Athletics Center. 

Guard Peter Bandelj added 11 points for Cal Poly (7-12, 3-4), which trailed Hawai’i (13-3, 5-1) at the break, 41-36, before the Rainbow Warriors opened the second half with a 13-4 run. Hawai’i, ranked ninth among 361 NCAA Division I programs in points allowed per game, failed to relinquish its double-digit advantage the remainder of the night. 

Sophomore Cayden Ward (above) finished with 10 points and team best nine rebounds for Cal Poly. 

Hawai’i opened Thursday’s matchup shooting 66.7 (12-for-18) percent from the floor, but carved out just a 31-28 lead after 15 minutes. The Mustangs, who twice cut their deficit to a single point down the first-half stretch, faced their five-point gap heading into the locker room following a buzzer-beating jumper from Hawai’i forward Gytis Nemeikša.

Into the second half, Bandelj knocked down a jumper three minutes into action to help Cal Poly close its deficit to 46-40. Hawai’i, however, scored on its next three possessions to pull away. 

Cal Poly Noteworthy (versus Hawai’i)

Cal Poly kept three of the Big West’s top three scorers with Cayden Ward (15.0) ranked eighth and Peter Bandelj (14.8) in 10th.

Up Next: Cal Poly enjoys a week break before renewing its rivalry with UC Santa Barbara when visiting the Gauchos on Thursday, Jan. 22. Tip time from The Thunderdome is 6 p.m.

Hamad Mousa maintained his streak of double-digit scoring through all 18 appearances and retained the big West scoring lead at 21.6 points per game.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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UCSB hangs on to win at CS Bakersfield to snap Big West skid

KEYT on January 16, 2026

Mike Klan

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KEYT) – Colin Smith scored a game-high 16 points to lead UCSB to a regular season 2-game sweep over Cal State Bakersfield 75-69.

The road win snaps a 3-game Big West losing streak as the Gauchos improve to 10-7 on the year and 3-3 in the Big West.

Zion Sensley came off the bench to score 13 points and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

Miro Little added 12 points as UCSB outscored the Roadrunners 30-6 from the three-point line.

Sensley and Little each made 3 three-pointers as UCSB went 10-of-26 from beyond the arc.

The Gauchos led 38-29 at halftime and went up 64-49 with less then 7:30 left in the game.

But the Roadrunners cut the deficit 3 at 72-69 with :32 seconds left.

UCSB was able to hang on with two free throws from Smith and one by CJ Shaw.

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Rescued hikers highlight the dangers of traversing Mount Baldy

CNN Newsource on January 16, 2026

By Joy Benedict

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Nine months after falling hundreds of feet, Manny Vasquez and his cousin Danny Ortiz Gutierrez joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies who rescued them to warn others about the dangers of hiking Mount Baldy.

“If you don’t have the training or the right equipment, you will end up like I did,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez and Ortiz Gutierrez were hiking the mountain in March when they fell 300 feet. They are one of the 200 rescues San Bernardino County carried out in 2025.

“I do not remember the first 2-3 hours of us falling,” Vasquez said. “Once I came to, I realized we were in trouble.”

With no cell signal and his cousin unconscious, Vasquez used his phone’s SOS feature to call for help.

“We got a call in but I wasn’t able to hear them,” Vasquez said. “They weren’t able to hear me but at that point I knew they had my GPS location.”

Vasquez and his cousin waited 12 hours until deputies rescued them from the side of the mountain.

“I wouldn’t be alive if he wasn’t there,” Ortiz Gutierrez said. “If the law enforcement teams hadn’t done everything they had done, I wouldn’t be here talking to you guys right now.”

Since 2017, 23 hikers have died on Mount Baldy, including the three found dead two weeks ago.

“Our mountain communities can be very unforgiving,” said Eric Vetere, commander of the West Valley Search and Rescue. “You’re basically placing an ice skating rink at a 45 to 50 degree angle and when you slip and fall, that’s what you’re sliding on.”

Vetere said hikers have seconds to save themselves if they have the proper equipment. Deputies said some of the equipment needed for the alpine conditions of Mount Baldy includes a specialized pair of spiked boots called crampons, a GPS device and a flashlight.

“If you turn that flashlight on, we will see you miles and miles away,” Sgt. John Anderson said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Gauchos beat Bakersfield as they continue to stack wins

KEYT on January 16, 2026

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – UCSB shot a sizzling 60% from the floor and they finally pulled away from Cal State Bakersfield in the fourth quarter in an 82-67 win at the Thunderdome.

Olivia Bradley led the way with 27 points as she made 11-of-14 of her shots.

Zoe Borter was 7-of-10 from the floor for 20 points as the Gauchos improved to 13-2 on the season and 5-1 in the Big West.

UCSB outscored the Roadrunners 22-12 in the fourth quarter to secure another victory.

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Abandoned ‘zombie house’ where owner died undiscovered for years gets stunning renovation

CNN Newsource on January 16, 2026

By Michael Paluska

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (WFTS) — A dilapidated St. Petersburg home where the owner’s skeletal remains were found years after his death has been transformed from a neighborhood eyesore to a dream home.

The house sat seemingly abandoned for years during the COVID-19 pandemic, with neighbors unaware that the reclusive owner was dead inside. The body was discovered only after the bank sent a representative to investigate when automatic payments stopped.

“The representative went inside the house and thought they saw a Halloween decoration. It was not a Halloween decoration. It was the skeletal remains of the owner, and they had been there for a while,” said Alex Jandick of 131 Cash Home Buyers.

St. Petersburg police told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska the case is inactive, and that the body was too decomposed for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.

“During COVID, when a lot of people just weren’t outside and just staying inside, no one went to check on him, and they said he was a bit of a recluse anyway, so he’s just a private person, didn’t go outside and was not close with any of his family,” Jandick said. “It’s just kind of like the perfect storm, essentially.”

Jandick specializes in finding the most run-down houses and sold this property to Andrew Strong, a real estate investor who spent more than seven months gutting and renovating the home. The project transformed the one-bedroom, one-bath into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom family home.

“This house got the full nine, everything,” Strong said.

When Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska first visited the house in 2024, it was infested with rats and roaches, piled high with trash, and had an overwhelming smell. The transformation is stunning.

The room that was once piled high with trash is now the master bedroom. The living room has been completely transformed. What was once a study full of junk is now a bedroom. The kitchen didn’t just get updated – it went through a complete metamorphosis.

“I think in the beginning it’s always a little overwhelming at the beginning stages, because you’re putting together your budget, you’re trying to envision the house coming together,” Strong said. “You have to be creative. You have to have confidence that you’re turning this blank slate into something beautiful.”

The renovation represents more than just a house flip – it’s about changing communities one property at a time.

“This has literally gone from the by far the worst house on the block to by far the best house on the block,” Jandick said.

Strong described the finished product as “a beautifully rehabbed home, a home that’s waiting for a buyer and that’s gonna spend several years in here. Very happy, yeah, no more zombies, no more zombies. No critters, just a home waiting to be lived in.”

If you are interested in the home at 5820 Fairfield Ave S., St. Pete, you can reach out to the realtor, Laura Marie 727-350-7003.

This story was reported on-air by Michael Paluska and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Paluska and Scripps editorial team verify all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.