Hays

• Hays city officials are pursuing federal grants and loans to fund the estimated $120 million, 70-mile R9 water pipeline project. →
• The city of Hays awaits a Kansas Supreme Court ruling on R9 water rights transfers and a judge's ruling on an Edwards County lawsuit. →
• The Hays City Commission approved industrial revenue bonds for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant opening this fall on Vine Street. →
• New contributor Sarah Newberry on a tough 2026 wheat harvest — drought, hail and rain cut McPherson County yields to as little as a third of normal →
• Shelly of Prescott Performance Lab shared a simple travel workout routine designed for individuals without access to a gym. →
• It's going to be mostly sunny and warm in Hays today, with light southern winds and a high near 94°F.

🌾 Kansas

• Edgerton's City Council voted unanimously on July 16 to override its planning commission and approve a 400,000-square-foot data center backed by Dubai-based DAMAC Digital at Logistics Park Kansas City. →

• Western Kansas farmers have planted about 9,000 acres of a new winter durum wheat variety developed by Kansas State University to survive Great Plains winters and thrive on limited water. →

• Kansas cyclosporiasis cases surged to 289 as of July 22, more than five times the prior week's count, as health officials link the spike to a national outbreak tied to recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce. →

• Kansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held at 3.8% in June as manufacturing added 2,700 jobs, even as private education and health services lost 1,500 positions, the state Department of Labor reported. →

• Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent letters July 23 demanding Lawrence, Prairie Village and Roeland Park repeal their conversion therapy bans within 60 days, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's Chiles v. Salazar ruling. →

🇺🇸 US

• Oil closed above $100 a barrel on July 23 for the first time since May after Houthi forces struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting US B-1 bomber strikes and a Trump threat against Iranian infrastructure. →

• President Trump announced July 23 that the US would impose 10% or 12.5% tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, covering roughly 99% of US imports. →

• Trump, governors and utilities expanded a voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge on July 23 aimed at preventing AI data centers from raising household electricity bills. →

• Intel reported second-quarter revenue of $16.1 billion on July 23, up 25% year-over-year and its fastest growth since 2011, driven by a 59% surge in its data-center and AI business. →

• The Treasury Department sanctioned more than 50 individuals and entities on July 23 for alleged ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. →

Weather

July 24, 1847: Religious Pioneers Settle Salt Lake Valley

Brigham Young and 148 Latter-day Saint pioneers, sent on their journey after 17 months of travel and years of violent persecution following Joseph Smith’s murder, entered Utah’s remote Great Salt Lake Valley, where Young declared, “This is the place,” and began planning a new religious homeland. Their arrival launched a massive westward migration of Mormons seeking political and religious freedom, ultimately transforming the arid valley into Salt Lake City and a lasting center of LDS life.

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.