Manny Abarca IV

Manny Abarca has been removed as chair of the Jackson County Legislature. Legislator Donna Peyton will replace him.

Jackson County Legislative Chair Manny Abarca IV held a closed-door meeting Friday to discuss allegations of bribery that he's also posted about publicly on his Facebook page. But the Jackson County Sheriff says no formal report has been made, and that Abarca hasn't responded to multiple requests for additional information.

Jackson County is voting for its new county executive this year. All the candidates put property taxes as their top priority. But go beyond that, and the differences creep in.

Jackson County legislative Chairman Manny Abarca, now a candidate for county executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for what school officials deemed “unsafe” behavior in the building. We’ll hear details of the letter to Abarca from Kansas City Public Schools’ legal counsel.

Manny Abarca, now running for Jackson County executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for one academic year for violating a Kansas City Public Schools policy that requires “appropriate behavior” by guests.

Despite cries that it was “performative politics,” Chair Manny Abarca said the plan puts the county on record as opposing “the caging of people.” A second measure that would have barred federal immigration agents from wearing masks was held for legal concerns.

After being charged in Hutchinson, Kansas with harassment, the Johnson County district attorney asked a judge to revoke his bond. “A defendant on bond who reoffends against the same victim threatens public safety,” the motion said.

Platform Ventures, owned by Ryan and Terry Anderson, pitched a warehouse development as a job creator for south Kansas City. Port KC says the company went behind its back to strike a deal with ICE, which would undermine job growth in the area.

The Jackson County Legislature is considering requiring federal officers to keep their faces and badges visible while conducting immigration enforcement actions. The Department of Homeland Security insists masking protects federal law enforcement from doxing and physical attacks.

Sheriff Darryl Forte said lawmakers have a duty to prioritize community concerns over politics. Jackson County Legislative Chair Manny Abarca, who introduced the measure to ban masks, countered that accountability “shouldn’t be a problem for good cops.”

Abarca has been charged in Hutchinson, Kansas in addition to charges in Kansas City and Johnson County.

On Thursday morning, officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement toured a warehouse in south Kansas City with aims to hold detainees there. By the afternoon, city lawmakers put in place a measure to stop such detention centers from being approved.