> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.citizenjournal.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hays daily brief - URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/hays-daily-brief-100/ - Published: 2026-09-18T13:31:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-18T13:31:10.000Z - Description: Hays, Kansas and US news for busy people - Sep 18, 2026 edition - Author: Greg Loving - Tags: hays, #brief, #fullemail # Hays - The ACCESS Transportation Task Force presented ridership data to the Ellis County Commission, promoting low-cost transit options. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ellis-county-commission-summary-20/) - Ellis County Commission approved land and grant funding to build a regional firefighter training complex near Hays for northwest Kansas. [→](https://hayspost.com/posts/3e2c952d-690a-42a7-b9db-2d9454844b0c?ref=citizenjournal.us) - The Ellis County Communications Center plans to educate residents on alternative emergency reporting tools, including text-to-911\. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ellis-county-commission-summary-20/) - The Hays USD 489 Board of Education approved a marketing agreement allowing Commerce Bank minimal sponsorship signage in classrooms. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/takeaways-from-hays-usd-489-education-board-meeting-12/) - The Hays USD 489 Board of Education approved a $2,497 assistant volleyball coach at Hays High School to avoid cutting student players. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/takeaways-from-hays-usd-489-education-board-meeting-12/) - The Heartland Community Foundation opened its fall grant cycle, offering nearly $200,000 for projects in Ellis, Rooks, and Trego counties. [→](https://hayspost.com/posts/57f9b7e8-84d7-46fd-abde-f03fb0807758?ref=citizenjournal.us) - Expect plenty of sunshine and hot, breezy conditions today with a high near 99°F and wind gusts up to 32 mph. --- # 🌾 Kansas - Former Republican Gov. Bill Graves endorsed Democrat Adam Hamilton over Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas' 2026 U.S. Senate race, continuing his history of cross-party endorsements. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-271/) - Kansas Board of Regents made responsible AI use its top strategic priority and approved a fiscal 2028 funding request that included $40 million for community and technical college projects. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-271/) - Deep Fission became the first participant in the Energy Department's Reactor Pilot Program to publicly release its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for its underground Gravity reactor project in Parsons. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-271/) - Metal detectors at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, detected a gun on a student Sept. 16, leading to the student's arrest before anyone was harmed. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-271/) - A Johnson County judge sentenced Isaiah Sadowski to 123 months for reckless second-degree murder after he fled to Mexico following a 2021 crash that killed a 75-year-old woman. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-271/) --- # 🇺🇸 US - Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 midterm elections began Sept. 18 in Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, with Illinois and Kentucky to follow later in the calendar. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-268/) - New York regulators opened a proceeding Sept. 17 to create an Energy Affordability Index tying utility costs to household income, while a Senate data-center billing bill stalled after Sen. Martin Heinrich blocked unanimous consent. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-268/) - Lockheed Martin said Sept. 17 it received its first shipment of Patriot interceptor components from General Motors' defense unit as the Pentagon pushes to speed weapons production. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-268/) - Diesel hit a record national average of about $6.40 a gallon Sept. 17, squeezing farmers as harvest season begins. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-268/) - The Atlantic had produced no hurricanes by Sept. 17, setting a record for the longest wait for a season's first hurricane in the satellite era. [→](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-268/) --- # Weather ![Weather](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/2026/09/Tab1FileL-2.png) --- --- # SEPTEMBER 18, 1976: ONE MILLION MOURNERS ATTEND FUNERAL OF MAO ZEDONG More than one million people gathered at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People and in Tiananmen Square for the funeral of Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China. During the eight-day mourning period, over a million citizens filed past his flag-draped coffin as the nation observed moments of silence and a televised state ceremony. *This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our [AI policy](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ai-policy/).*