Latest news with #3rdDistrict
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Let's Talk Tuesday returns
ELKHART — The City of Elkhart has announced the 2025 community meeting dates for Let's Talk Tuesday sessions. The program, now in its fourth year, aims to foster connections and conversations among residents, providing a platform for open dialogue and engagement for community building, organizers said. Residents are encouraged to share their ideas and concerns with Mayor Rod Roberson, their City Council representatives and department heads. Let's Talk Tuesday will take place on select Tuesday evenings at various locations throughout Elkhart in each council district, offering residents the opportunity to come together, share ideas and discuss issues that matter most to residents. City department representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions related to their expertise. 'Let's Talk Tuesday is one of my favorite events to connect with residents,' Mayor Rod Roberson said. 'My administration looks forward to our fourth season of this important series of events.' All meetings will begin at 6:30 pm. Dates are: April 15: 5th District with Councilman Brent Curry, Pierre Moran Pavillon, 119 W. Wolf St. May 27: 3rd District with Councilman David Henke, Pinewood Elementary School, 3420 E. Bristol St. June 24: 1st District with Councilman Aaron Mishler, High Dive Pavillon, 500 E. Beardsley Ave. July 22: 6th District with Councilwoman LaTonya King, McNaughton Pavillon, 701 Arcade Ave. Aug. 26: 4th District with Councilman Dwight Fish, Studebaker Pavillon, 1020 McDonald St. Sept. 23: 2nd District with Councilman Chad Crabtree, Willowdale Pavillon, 1320 Olive St. In addition, at-Large council members Arvis Dawson, Alex Holtz and Tonda Hines will be in attendance. The public is invited to all events and no reservations are required. More information about Let's Talk Tuesday and upcoming events are available on the City of Elkhart app, MyElkhart311; on the city website, or on social media, @CityofElkhart.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Former Kansas City councilwoman injured in afternoon robbery in downtown KC
Former Kansas City Councilwoman Joanne Collins was the victim of a downtown robbery on Monday, police confirmed. Collins, 89, was the first Black woman elected to Kansas City's City Council. She served as the 3rd District city council member. Police were called to the area of West 12th Street and Central Street, near the Kansas City Convention Center, around 4:30 p.m. Monday for a robbery, and officers found the victim, Collins, had been injured in the incident, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department. Collins was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, he said. 'Detectives are pursuing all leads and making headway at identifying a subject,' he said. 'The investigation is ongoing.' Collins became the first Black woman to be elected to City Council in 1974. She was re-elected to the seat four times before she stepped down in 1991. Collins also served in stints as the city's mayor pro tem and acting mayor.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
She was just ousted as JoCo Commissioner. Now, Republican will run for Kansas governor
Former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara has filed to run for governor in 2026. O'Hara, an Olathe Republican who served the 3rd District, lost by seven percentage points to Democrat Julie Brewer in November, making her the only incumbent in a contested County Commission race not to win re-election. O'Hara previously served one term in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2011-2013 and ran unsuccessfully for Overland Park mayor and Johnson County Commission Chair. She joins Secretary of State Scott Schwab in a Republican primary field where voters will select their challenger after two gubernatorial losses at the hands of term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Democratic candidates have yet to step forward 17 months ahead of the primary. O'Hara told The Star she's undeterred by her recent loss and focused on spreading her message about discontinuing 'corporate welfare' tax incentives and overhauling public school curriculum. 'Because I've been involved in politics for so long, my name recognition, especially in Johnson County, is well-known,' said O'Hara, who owns a casino chip manufacturing business and recently returned from a nine-day listening tour with stops along the way from Frankfort to Garden City. As a member of the County Commission from 2021 until January, she was fiercely opposed to COVID-19 masking and vaccine mandates. She's still critical of Schwab's directive to Johnson County to destroy 2020 mail ballots last spring in accordance with state law over the objection of former Sheriff Calvin Hayden. On issues of election security, tax incentives and public education, O'Hara said she sees herself as more conservative than Schwab and other gubernatorial hopefuls who have yet to announce their bids. 'The status quo in the Republican Party, they have long been controlled by the Koch brothers, Koch Industries, and the Chamber,' O'Hara said. A former general contractor who dabbled in development, O'Hara said it was her own experience receiving a tax incentive in 2004 that turned her against industrial revenue bonds, tax increment financing and state STAR bond subsidies. 'This is handing out candy to the well-connected,' O'Hara said. She said as governor, she would take it upon herself to lead the charge against common incentive programs, which have been enshrined in state statute and would require legislative action to be undone. 'I would be in front of the Legislature demanding that they take a look at these statutes and at least start rolling them back,' O'Hara said. She said high property taxes are 'crushing small businesses' and admonished state and local officials for their 'cruel indifference' toward soaring tax bills for homeowners. Tax policy has also featured in O'Hara's political newsletter poetry, including a nine-stanza composition that begins: 'Oh, how do we, the BOCC Raise the tax on YOUR property? With cruel indifference, Maniacal glee!!' O'Hara supports President Trump's call to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and wants to minimize the Kansas state school board's role in determining classroom curriculum. 'In my opinion, the closer to the local level, the better,' she told The Star. 'We've got to get away from DEI. We've got to get away from this woke agenda and we've got to get back to basics — phonics, just regular core math — stop all this ridiculous confusing the kids with drawing boxes and all that stuff,' O'Hara said. 'Six plus six equals twelve, period.' She declined to offer specific examples of diversity initiatives in Kansas schools she wants to see eliminated but issued a blanket appraisal of diversity, equity and inclusion as 'discriminatory.' However, O'Hara said she's wary of school vouchers because she believes they would come with strings attached to what can and can't be taught in private schools and homeschools. Newly elected Kansas Republican Party Chair Danedri Herbert did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Neither did Johnson County Republican Party Chair Sue Huff. Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly, who defeated O'Hara in 2022, declined to comment on her entrance into the race. The Star's Taylor O'Connor contributed reporting
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats target 2 Iowa congressional districts that analysts say look competitive for 2026
National Democrats once again are targeting Republican U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn as they begin plotting their 2026 midterm strategy, putting $50 million into a fund they think can help them win back districts like those in Iowa. The House Majority PAC, which works to elect Democrats, said it will put $50 million into its 'Win Them Back Fund' that will focus on reversing declining support "among a multi-racial group of working-class voters." The group added Iowa's 1st and 3rd congressional districts to its list of "targeted races" late last year, forecasting their interest in remaining competitive in Iowa despite recent losses. The news comes as national elections forecasters at the Cook Political Report also rate both districts as competitive in an early analysis of the 2026 midterm contests. Cook's elections analysts rated Miller-Meeks' reelection efforts in the 1st District as a 'toss-up' race, their most competitive ranking. The group lists Nunn's 3rd District contest as 'leans Republican.' It's a change from recent years, when consultants and party members have viewed the 3rd District as the swingiest of Iowa's four. It's the district where Trump performed worst in Iowa last year, winning by just 4 percentage points compared with his 13-point statewide lead. But after Miller-Meeks edged out her Democratic opponent by about 800 votes in a district Trump won by 9 percentage points, she could be congressional Democrats' top target going into 2026. 'It is strange that you would start a district that Trump won by almost 9 points in a toss-up category,' said Erin Covey, U.S. House Editor for the Cook Political Report. 'But because of the fact that she had the closest race of any House Republican in Congress, clearly she is vulnerable going into a midterm cycle where we would expect that the environment would be better for Democrats. So, I think it's clear that she's going to be a top target yet again.' Miller-Meeks may continue to face pressure from her right. She withstood a relatively close primary challenge in 2024, beating Republican David Pautsch 56% to 44%. Pautsch told the Des Moines Register he plans to again challenge Miller-Meeks in a primary race next year. Although Pautsch had relatively little money and name recognition in 2024, he came within 12 percentage points of toppling Miller-Meeks and carried five of the district's 20 counties. Covey said she still expects the 3rd District to be competitive in the midterm elections, which historically have benefited the political party that does not hold the White House. 'Right now, it looks like (Nunn) is probably the slight favorite,' Covey said. 'But it would not surprise me if this race becomes more competitive the closer we get to November — and depending on who Democrats recruit to run here, of course.' Nunn won his 2024 race by about 4 percentage points, which is on par with how Trump performed in that district. 'The math is in our favor, and it's clear House Republicans are on offense for 2026," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement. "Representatives Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks have a proven track record of delivering results for their Iowans. Distraught Iowa Democrats don't have (any) message, and voters aren't buying their failed agenda.' Covey cautioned that it's early in the election cycle, and shifting political dynamics will change how candidates are perceived throughout the race. She said these ratings represent an early benchmark mostly based on how the last election played out. 'It's very early in the cycle, and we are not making any big predictions about the environment at this point,' she said. '… But I do think, for the Iowa districts in particular, I think we can expect both of these races to be competitive the whole cycle.' The House Majority PAC lists Iowa's 1st and 3rd Districts as 'races where working-class voters play a major role in the electorate' and where they see opportunities for Democrats to make gains. 'We will continue to invest in research throughout the cycle, and as our programming ramps up, we will leverage our research to launch comprehensive campaigns that will help us win back these target voters,' a memo released by the organization said. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@ or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Analysts say 2 Iowa congressional districts look competitive for 2026
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge in South Bend council district residency lawsuit of Sharon McBride recuses himself
SOUTH BEND — The St. Joseph County Circuit Court magistrate judge assigned the case over the 3rd District residency of Common Council member Sharon McBride has recused himself from hearing the matter. A city resident, Brian S. Collier, had filed the lawsuit on Monday, May 27, against McBride, alleging she doesn't live in the 3rd District that she represents and didn't live there when she won re-election Nov. 7, 2023. The lawsuit alleges that McBride, who served as council president from 2022 through 2024, instead lives in a residence in the city's 2nd District. Magistrate Judge Andre B. Gammage filed the order of recusal Wednesday, saying in court documents he has "an affiliation with the Defendant in this case." More: South Bend's McBride, council attorney respond to lawsuit over city district residency "To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Magistrate Gammage believes that he should recuse himself for any participation in this matter," according to the court documents. The case has been returned to the presiding judge of the court, Judge Jon E. Broden, for further proceedings. The lawsuit alleges that McBride "did not satisfy the residency requirement required by the Indiana Constitution, Indiana Law, and South Bend Municipal Code, which requires elected officials to reside in the district they are seeking election six months prior to the election (IC 3-8-1-27) and while they hold office (IN Code § 36-4-6-2)." The lawsuit claims McBride must then resign her seat. Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Judge assigned to McBride council residency lawsuit recuses himself
