Hays daily brief
Hays, Kansas and US news for busy people - Sep 30, 2026 edition
Hays
- The Hays Police Department retired badge No. 512 to honor Sgt. Scott Heimann on the anniversary of his line-of-duty death. →
- The Hays USD 489 Board of Education voted 5-1 to approve a $41,754 bid from Nex-Tech for intercom upgrades at two elementary schools. →
- Fort Hays State University in Hays will host an Oct. 2 ribbon-cutting for its new $11.5 million Bickle-Schmidt Athletic Complex. →
- Hays High DECA will hold its Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat food drive Oct. 13 to benefit the Hays Community Assistance Center. →
- Heath Robins of Ellis entered an Alford plea to indecent liberties with a child in Ellis County District Court, facing 114 months in prison. →
- Expect a soggy and mostly cloudy Wednesday with patchy fog, widespread showers and thunderstorms, and a high near 72°F.
🌾 Kansas
-
Federal officials reported 104 arrests during ICE's Sept. 22-24 Operation Safe Community in southwest Kansas, with the U.S. attorney rejecting claims of indiscriminate sweeps. →
-
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton agreed to a statewide televised debate airing Oct. 21 from 7-8 p.m. Central time. →
-
Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order Sept. 29 directing state agencies to develop a 10-year plan coordinating services for Kansas' aging population. →
-
Transgender plaintiffs testified Sept. 29 in a Douglas County hearing over SB 244, describing effects including surrendered driver's licenses and restroom restrictions. →
-
Joby Aviation demonstrated an autonomous flight system on a Cessna 208 Caravan over Wichita on Sept. 28, landing publicly at the Kansas Aviation Museum. →
🇺🇸 US
-
President Trump signed a voluntary AI safety accord with executives from Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia and xAI on Sept. 29 and separately ordered federal agencies to replace "artificial intelligence" terminology with "Super Intelligence." →
-
The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell 6.7 points to 81.9 in September, its lowest level since 2014, as the 30-year Treasury yield topped 5.6% for the first time since 2002. →
-
Georgia suspended its motor fuel excise tax through Oct. 29 on Sept. 29, while Texas eased dyed diesel restrictions statewide amid surging fuel prices. →
-
Trump launched America.gov on Sept. 29, an AI-powered federal services portal that currently answers questions but won't process transactions like passport renewals until early 2027. →
-
American troops completed their withdrawal from Iraq on Sept. 30, ending a 12-year anti-ISIS mission as Iran-backed militias refused disarmament and Kurdish officials warned of new security vulnerabilities. →
Weather

SEPTEMBER 30, 1954: USS NAUTILUS—WORLD’S FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE—IS COMMISSIONED
On September 30, 1954, the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Nautilus, the first submarine powered by a nuclear reactor. This breakthrough allowed the vessel to stay submerged for unprecedented lengths of time and travel faster and farther than earlier diesel-electric submarines.
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.