Hays

• The Ellis County Commission trimmed $860,000 from its proposed 2027 property tax request following budget workshops with department heads. →
• The Ellis County Commission tabled a proposal to reduce Saturday operating hours at the Ellis County Landfill during winter months. →
• The Ellis County Commission debated tax incentives and the long-term tax abatement impacts for the Lincoln School redevelopment in Hays. →
• The Hays Hammer-Pfeifer 12U baseball team won three state championships and finished its season on a 23-game winning streak. →
• Expect a sunny and hot day in Hays today with a high near 91°F and an east-southeast breeze picking up this afternoon.

🌾 Kansas

• Three Democratic gubernatorial candidates — Cindy Holscher, Ethan Corson and Curt Skoog — debated in Topeka on July 21 ahead of the Aug. 4 primary, with Holscher leading in recent polling. →

• Former Shawnee City Council President Eric Jenkins filed as a Republican to challenge Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District, setting up an Aug. 4 GOP primary against Chase LaPorte. →

• The Kansas Board of Regents adopted formal definitions of DEI and critical race theory on July 21, giving the state's six public universities 10 days to certify compliance or lose $2 million each in funding under a new law. →

• Lyon County officials certified 806 valid signatures on July 21 for an Emporia petition banning high-impact data centers, clearing the threshold to force city action on the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus. →

• The KBI and Mitchell County Sheriff's Office announced July 20 that new forensic evidence has produced "significant findings" in the unsolved 2009 killing of Gary L. Nelson in Beloit. →

🇺🇸 US

• The Department of Health and Human Services deferred more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments on July 21, withholding about $867.5 million from California and $199 million from Minnesota over documentation of high-risk claims. →

• Rep. Andy Biggs won Arizona's Republican gubernatorial primary on July 21 with President Trump's backing, setting up a November challenge against unopposed Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs. →

• AMC Entertainment shares jumped about 27% on July 20 after the theater chain posted record second-quarter revenue of roughly $1.6 billion and a surprise adjusted profit of 14 cents per share. →

• France's National Assembly voted 279-81 on July 21 to ban social media for children under 15, making it the first European Union country to impose such a restriction. →

• A bipartisan Senate bill imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia has secured at least 61 co-sponsors, enough to overcome a filibuster, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired armed forces chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi on July 21. →

Weather

JULY 22, 1864: BATTLE OF ATLANTA

The Battle of Atlanta came at a pivotal moment in the Civil War, as Union forces under General William T. Sherman pressed deep into the Confederate heartland to capture the vital rail and industrial hub of Atlanta. Confederate General John Hood’s failed attempt to smash Sherman’s armies on Bald Hill not only cost the South over 5,000 casualties but also claimed the life of young Union General James McPherson, one of the North’s most promising commanders. Sherman’s eventual capture of Atlanta that fall set the stage for his famous March to the Sea, a devastating campaign of “hard war” from Atlanta to Savannah that shattered Confederate infrastructure, undercut Southern morale, and hastened the ultimate Union victory in the Civil War.

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.