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KS - May 20 2025

$1.1B Black & Veatch HQ Overhaul Planned; AI Drones On Farms; Kansas Abortion Donor Law Challenged; Two Twisters, No Injuries; OKC Routs Nuggets in Game 7

Greg Loving

20 May 2025 • 3 min read

Black & Veatch’s headquarters in Johnson County is pictured in a file photo. Black & Veatch World Headquarters Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch Eyes $1.1B Overland Park HQ Overhaul

AI-Powered Drones Cultivate Savings on the Farm

Reproductive Rights Group Challenges New Kansas Foreign Donor Law

Two Twisters Touch Down Southwest of Topeka, No Injuries

OKC Routs Nuggets in Game 7, Heads to West Finals

1. Black & Veatch Eyes $1.1B Overland Park HQ Overhaul

Black & Veatch, the global engineering firm based in Overland Park, could be set to redevelop its headquarters into a full-fledged, walkable district with new housing and retail in a billion-dollar-plus project. City documents show that Black & Veatch has proposed building a new 612,000-square-foot world headquarters for thousands of employees on the site, located off 115th Street and Lamar Avenue. Its current office building in the area would be demolished. Working with other developers, the company’s future redevelopment would also include additional office space, 1,884 new housing units in a mix of apartments, townhomes and condos, 550,000 square feet of retail space, a 160-room hotel, parking structures for the development and surrounding area and a new public park right in the center. There would be more than 20 new buildings across the 80-acre site.

kansascity.com

2. AI-Powered Drones Cultivate Savings on the Farm

Drones on the farm help precision agriculture reduce input costs by using smaller, smarter and more flexible devices to replace more expensive and larger machines. Artificial intelligence powers much of this trend. Hylio itself uses AI both in its production processes and in its drones’ tools. “We are implementing AI-powered weed identification tools within our existing software platform (which is called AgroSol),” Erickson said. Hylio is also engaging with data-analytics company Palantir on the possibilities for incorporating more AI into their software.

hpj.com

3. Reproductive Rights Group Challenges New Kansas Foreign Donor Law

TOPEKA — A Kansas reproductive rights advocacy group, backed by a Washington, D.C. law firm, sued state officials over a new law banning financial contributions from “foreign nationals” to support or oppose constitutional amendments. The group, Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, argued in a complaint filed in federal court Friday that House Bill 2106, which passed the Legislature in April and is set to go into effect July 1, is broad, vague and unconstitutional. The group said the bill inhibits its ability to advocate for or against future constitutional amendments. Kansans for Constitutional Freedom and its donors have received contributions from foreign nationals, the lawsuit said.

kansasreflector.com

4. Two Twisters Touch Down Southwest of Topeka, No Injuries

Two small, short-lived tornadoes touched down during the early evening on May 19 in Wabaunsee County, southwest of Topeka, with one doing minor damage to a house and outbuildings, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office said in its Facebook page. No one was hurt, it said.

cjonline.com

5. OKC Routs Nuggets in Game 7, Heads to West Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY – — The Oklahoma City Thunder grew up on Sunday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7. The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016.

espn.com

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Many more cities coming soon!