Kansas

The candidates faced off and shared their approaches to major issues in a debate hosted by the Johnson County Bar Association.

Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason told Ellis County leaders on Tuesday that new partnerships and donations could keep the natural history museum open into next year. The university said it could not afford to "subsidize it alone."

Data center demand, severe weather and the aging grid are forcing utilities to drive up electricity rates. While the Midwest has historically had the cheapest energy in the nation, forces are undermining that trend.

The roadrunner, long a symbol of the American Southwest, is experiencing range expansion. That's bringing the bird to places that didn't use to resemble the desert vistas beloved by its cartoon counterpart — such as Kansas and even Missouri.

Republican Derek Schmidt is defending his congressional seat against Democrat Don Coover and Libertarian John Hauer. The 2nd District covers much of eastern Kansas just outside the Kansas City suburbs, and part of Wyandotte County.

In November, voters will choose between Democrat Amy Diediker and Republican Jim McMullen for the Kansas Board of Education's 3rd District seat. Either candidate would be new to the board.

Immigration enforcement targeted western Kansas with sweeping actions over the last week, leaving people with and without legal status reeling. The beef industry that employs thousands in the area is working to get back on track.

After the USDA admitted in 1997 that its programs had routinely discriminated against Black farmers, tens of thousands of them sued the federal government. A judge ultimately ruled in their favor, and farmers were promised nearly $2.2 billion in compensation. But all of these years later, some victims — including in the historic town of Nicodemus, Kansas — still haven’t received anything.

Some Wichita City Council members said they want to prohibit local police from partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

An ad for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Adam Hamilton begins with a patient who said she was arrested while eight months pregnant for missing a $50 payment to Marshall. She was one of more than 700 patients whom the Republican senator sued while a practicing physician.

The By-Right Housing Act aims to speed up homebuilding. In Kansas City, Kansas, the first and clearest change looks to be broadly available accessory dwelling units.

Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason said the Sternberg Museum of Natural History will close Dec. 18. Mason said the school faces a $2.4 million cut in state funding and needs to eliminate any programs that do not directly benefit students.