A Gaithersburg Holiday Inn most likely had no idea that it would become a scene from American political history. However, on a Tuesday night, shortly after 11 p.m., Representative April McClain Delaney entered a room that was still crowded with supporters, grinned wearily, and said, “I’m feeling good — are you feeling good?” The audience responded. The race had not yet been officially announced outside. However, something had already changed. While classic rock music played overhead, David Trone’s supporters gathered at a Frederick brew pub a few miles away, picking at appetizers. On his end, the large screens that had…
Author: Sierra Foster
Sierra Foster
Born in Kansas City, Sierra Foster writes about politics and serves as Senior Editor at kbsd6.com. She was raised paying attention to this city, not just living in it. Sierra has a strong, deep connection to Kansas City, from the neighborhoods east of Troost to the discussions that take place in the city hall halls. Sierra, who is presently enrolled at the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Political Science, applies the rigor of academic study to her journalism. She writes about politics in Missouri and Kansas as someone who genuinely cares about what happens to the people in these communities—the policies that impact them, the leaders who represent them, and the civic forces influencing their futures—rather than as an outsider watching from a distance. Her editorial coverage encompasses state-level policy, local government, and the national political currents that permeate bi-state regional life. Whether it's a city council vote or a Senate race, she has a special gift for turning complex policy language into writing that feels urgent, relatable, and worthwhile. Sierra seldom sits still off the page. She claims that playing soccer on a regular basis has sharpened her instincts for political reporting because of the sport's teamwork, strategy, and requirement to read a changing game in real time. She's probably somewhere in Kansas City with her friends when she's not writing or on the pitch, discovering new reasons to adore a city she already knows so well.
Witnessing a family member become ill while incarcerated in a federal facility causes a specific kind of grief. The grief of waiting, filing paperwork, and picking up legal vocabulary you never would have needed is a slower kind of grief than the clear grief of loss. The term “compassionate release” comes late, is not fully understood, and carries a great deal of weight for many families. In its most basic form, it is a legal mechanism that permits a federal court to lower a prison sentence in cases of exceptional circumstances. a severe disease. old age. A family crisis that…
In military circles, the majority of people have seen this picture at least once. It depicts a general boarding a C-17 cargo aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30, 2021, as seen through night vision goggles. The picture is grainy and green, and night vision always makes things appear a little surreal. General Chris “C.D.” Donahue is the man in the picture. After almost two decades of fighting, he was the final American soldier to depart Afghanistan. Less than five years later, he is quitting the Army itself, but not quietly or on his own terms. Donahue left…
What Dairy Queen is doing this summer has a subtle sense of ambition. The majority of fast-food restaurants follow the formula, such as a limited-edition caramel drizzle or a seasonal berry swirl. However, it seems like someone on their product team took a chance with the new Dairy Queen Blizzard flavors that are currently available on menus. It remains to be seen if that gamble will be profitable. The three new Blizzard additions will be released under what DQ is referring to as a “Blizzard Treat Cup” lineup, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary and the excitement surrounding the World Cup…
A legal battle that starts with a diet soda and concludes in a federal courtroom in Washington is subtly illuminating. This week, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that the Trump administration had overreached itself by permitting five states to prohibit SNAP recipients from using their food benefits to purchase sugary drinks and candies. The decision was a major setback for the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which was spearheaded by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The SNAP restrictions were presented by both officials as common sense: why should taxpayer…
Reaching your early sixties, choosing to continue working and paying taxes on each paycheck, and then seeing your Social Security benefits gradually decline as a result is almost ironic. It occurs more frequently than most people realize, and for years it has caused low-level annoyance among senior employees who believe they are being punished for carrying out their duties exactly as they should. The Retirement Earnings Test, or RET, is the regulation that governs this. It was put into place during the Great Depression with the intention of encouraging older workers to retire and creating jobs for younger Americans who…
Flying home causes a certain kind of anxiety. The officer behind the glass who is in charge of your life’s next chapter, the long lines, and the fluorescent lights. It lasts a few minutes for most people. Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident Muk Choi Lau’s 2012 return via New York’s JFK Airport resulted in over ten years of legal disputes and, now, a Supreme Court decision that will have far-reaching implications. In Blanche v. Lau, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday, essentially shifting the balance of power at the border from green card holders…
Every significant law enforcement announcement has a point at which the figures seem unreal. False claims totaling $6.5 billion. 90 physicians and 455 defendants. 56 federal districts in 45 states and territories have filed charges. It doesn’t quite settle even after you read it twice. That is the actual size of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown by the US government. For two weeks, the Department of Justice coordinated what it calls the nation’s most comprehensive whole-of-government campaign against health care fraud. Neither a single villain nor a single plan served as the foundation for the operation. It was…
The way this one played out was almost cinematic. A former Major League Baseball player, two of the biggest names in country music, a fine dining establishment close to Music Row, and now a $1.4 million lawsuit pending in Davidson County Circuit Court. It’s the type of story that seems made up. It wasn’t. Located at 1628 21st Ave. S. in Nashville, E3 Chophouse debuted in 2019 as a posh, customer-focused dining establishment. The idea wasn’t new; in 2013, former Major League Baseball first baseman Adam LaRoche introduced the first E3 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. However, it was always a…
The Peterson family has been farming the same area of land in LaMoure County, North Dakota, for three generations. Like everything else that matters in rural America, the soil, the seasons, and the quiet perseverance needed to make a living off the land are all passed down through the family. No issues were inherited by Cody Peterson. He inherited a lifestyle. However, a federal agency decided at some point that it had a better idea of how to use that land. The dispute at the heart of the Cody Peterson FWS lawsuit dates back to 1963, when the U.S. Fish…