Kansas News Service

Deep Fission’s planned one-mile underground nuclear reactor project in Parsons, Kansas, passed an initial regulatory milestone, but new questions surround whether the project is financially viable and will be completed as planned.

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

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.

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."

Sen. Roger Marshall’s campaign used images from two Kansas businesses in a recent attack ad against Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton without the businesses’ knowledge or approval. Marshall’s campaign said it had changed the images — but as of Monday night, the old version was still running on television.

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.

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.

Lawmakers are divided over whether Topeka and Shawnee County should contribute money or resources to a proposed $80 million Kansas Bureau of Investigation headquarters, with one suggesting they consider other cities.

The arrests of plant workers and others around southwest Kansas began Tuesday, causing alarm and confusion across the region, where immigrants make up a large portion of the agriculture workforce.

A recent poll shows Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton leading in his race, but the Democratic candidate for governor, Cindy Holscher, is behind.