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KS - June 10 2025

Flint Hills Symphony; Prairie Views; De Soto Housing; Ark City Schools Ban Cell Phones; Universities Pay Athletes

Greg Loving

10 Jun 2025 • 4 min read

Topeka Capital-Journal

Symphony in Flint Hills Ends 20-Year Run

Kansas Tallgrass Prairie Named State's Most Treasured View

De Soto Housing Prices Rise as Panasonic Battery Plant Nears Completion

Arkansas City Schools to Ban Cell Phones 'Bell to Bell'

KU, K-State Navigate New Era of Direct Athlete Payments

1. Symphony In Flint Hills Ends 20-Year Run

After two decades of bringing world-class music to the Kansas prairie, the Symphony in the Flint Hills will play its final notes Saturday night in a sold-out performance. The Kansas City Symphony transported musicians and equipment more than 100 miles annually to perform for audiences who braved heat, dust and unpredictable weather on private ranches and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Despite drawing 125,000 visitors from 47 states and seven countries over its run, organizers cited declining post-COVID attendance and the physical demands of the outdoor venue as factors in ending the unique cultural event that showcased Kansas's natural beauty alongside classical music.

Kansas City Star

2. Kansas Tallgrass Prairie Named State's Most Treasured View

The Flint Hills' 14,500 square miles of tallgrass prairie, stretching nearly north to south across Kansas, has been recognized as the state's most stunning visual treasure in a new USA TODAY network project highlighting America's hidden gems. The windblown grasses transform from vibrant green to burnt gold through the seasons, with spectacular fall colors following rainy summers. Each spring, the centuries-old practice of prairie burning illuminates the night sky as ranchers and farmers continue the land management tradition started by native tribes, allowing renewed growth that makes this ecosystem one of the last remaining tallgrass prairies in North America.

Topeka Capital-Journal

3. De Soto Housing Prices Rise As Panasonic Battery Plant Nears Completion

DE SOTO, Kan. — Panasonic Energy’s $4 billion EV-battery gigafactory is still a construction zone, with a ribbon-cutting set for July 14 and the first production lines slated to phase in later this year before reaching full capacity in 2026. Even before the plant powers up, developers are banking on an influx of workers: agents are leasing brand-new Eagle Creek Townhomes, and the Anderson Estates duplex project will add 20 units. The City Council just annexed 120 acres north of the highway into a new Southwest Growth Area earmarked for mixed-use neighborhoods and infrastructure upgrades.

The scramble for roofs has tightened prices: Zillow’s Home Value Index pegs the typical De Soto house at $422,370, up 2.7 % year-over-year. Yet confidence is tempered by wider market jitters. Panasonic’s CEO recently acknowledged “slower global EV demand,” freezing plans for a third U.S. battery plant even as Kansas ramps up. If electric-vehicle sales stay soft, the hiring curve—and by extension De Soto’s hot housing streak—could cool just as quickly as it heated up.

citizen journal

4. Arkansas City Schools To Ban Cell Phones 'Bell To Bell'

Arkansas City schools will implement a complete cell phone ban during school hours starting next school year, joining a growing movement across Kansas districts following state board recommendations. School board member Lois Barnes cited the need to improve face-to-face communication skills and reduce social media-related mental health issues among students, noting that pandemic-era online learning increased technology dependence. While students expressed mixed feelings about the ban, administrators emphasized preparing students for college and careers where phone-free focus is essential, describing conversation skills as "a lost art" among today's youth.

KWCH

5. KU, K-State Navigate New Era Of Direct Athlete Payments

Kansas and Kansas State universities face a transformed college sports landscape as schools can now pay athletes up to $20.5 million annually following a recent court ruling, in addition to existing scholarships and NIL deals. The payments will primarily benefit football, basketball, baseball and volleyball players, though other sports are included, creating new financial pressures for athletic departments across Kansas. Both schools are also working to establish an enforcement organization outside the NCAA to regulate NIL payments, which experts say could be the biggest challenge in this new era of college athletics.