Topeka Moves to Protect a Historic Black Business District
The Topeka City Council took the first step toward designating a historic district that once anchored the city's Black commercial and cultural life.
Local News
Statehouse, weather & community
Community-Owned Grocery Opens in a Kansas City, Kansas Food Desert
A cooperatively owned grocery store opened its doors in a Wyandotte County neighborhood that had gone years without a full-service supermarket.
Flint Hills Ranchers Begin Annual Prairie Burns Under Watchful Eyes
The seasonal ritual of burning the tallgrass prairie returned to the Flint Hills, a practice ranchers say keeps the grassland healthy but that raises air quality concerns downwind.
Garden City Opens Welcome Center for Its Diverse Workforce
One of the most diverse communities in Kansas opened a center offering language classes, job placement, and services for the immigrant workers who staff its meatpacking plants.
Wichita Runs Largest-Ever Severe Weather Drill Ahead of Storm Season
With Kansas squarely inside Tornado Alley, emergency managers in Wichita coordinated a citywide siren test and shelter exercise involving dozens of schools and businesses.
Overland Park Council Advances Bus Rapid Transit Corridor
A north-south rapid transit line moved a step closer to reality after the Overland Park City Council approved preliminary funding for design work along Metcalf Avenue.
State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson to Get Major Infrastructure Overhaul
The Kansas State Fair board approved upgrades to aging water, electrical, and barn facilities at the Hutchinson fairgrounds ahead of the September event.
Rural Kansas Hospitals Warn of Closures Without New Funding
Administrators from several small-town hospitals told a legislative panel that thin margins and staffing shortages could force service cuts or closures.
Kansas Legislature Opens 2026 Session With Water and Budget at the Top
Lawmakers returned to the Statehouse in Topeka this week facing a crowded agenda led by a long-term water plan for the drying Ogallala Aquifer and a projected budget surplus.