Hutchinson

• The school district is considering a scaled-down 10- to 12-year bond to fund critical roofing, HVAC upgrades, and safety improvements without raising the mill levy. →
• The district is using $6.8 million from its local budget to cover a massive shortfall caused by the state only funding 48% of special education costs instead of the mandated 92%. →
• Hutchinson Public Schools will use grant funding to integrate ZeroEyes, an AI software that identifies firearms via security cameras and alerts administrators and emergency responders. →
• The district's new child care facility is on track to begin operations in May, providing a new service for the Hutchinson community. →
• Reno County EMS is hosting community open houses to celebrate the grand openings of two new facilities in Hutchinson and Arlington designed to improve emergency response times. →
• The commission formalized goals to maintain a competitive workforce, limit property tax growth to inflation, and improve departmental efficiency. →
• StartUp Hutch will host a free networking event for Reno County entrepreneurs on April 28 at Sandhills Brewing, featuring local business leader Anna Crable as the guest speaker. →
• The Hutchinson Art Center has appointed Hays Arts Council executive director Chandler Reich as the judge for this year’s Art Fair, citing her background in rural arts advocacy and cultural programming. →
• The No. 6 ranked Blue Dragons captured their seventh-consecutive Jayhawk Conference team title, tying a school record for consecutive championships, with Jack Northgraves winning the individual title. →
• It’s going to be a beautiful, mostly sunny day in Hutchinson with a high near 89, though you’ll want to hold onto your hat as those southwest winds kick up with gusts as high as 35 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly allowed a bill creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly to become law Monday without her signature, citing concerns it elevates religious freedom over free expression. →

• A severe weather outbreak April 13 produced at least 14 preliminary tornado reports across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, with the most serious damage reported in and near Ottawa, Kansas. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two abortion bills that expand legal exposure for providers and add new state-produced paperwork requirements under the Woman's Right-to-Know Act. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that expands the state's authority to verify and remove voter registrations while exempting the data used from open-records laws. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly Thursday signed legislation establishing the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act to finance a $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County for the Kansas City Chiefs beginning with the 2031 season. →

🇺🇸 US

• Student debt loads for millennials substantially exceeded those of baby boomers at similar ages, slowing wealth accumulation despite comparable median incomes and a college wage premium. →

• American home builders are installing cheaper materials like particle-board cabinets and reducing standard features such as automatic garage-door openers to offset high construction costs while new homes still sell above $400,000. →

• Cleveland has converted about 30 historic commercial buildings into apartments since 2013, pushing downtown population up 12% since 2019 to roughly 21,000 residents. →

• Amazon has expanded its new-vehicle sales program to more than 130 cities and now offers cars from Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, Chevrolet and Jeep after launching in late 2024. →

• A U.S.-sanctioned tanker linked to China sailed into the Gulf of Oman two days into President Trump's naval blockade of Iran as enforcement rules for the Strait of Hormuz remain unclear. →

Weather

APRIL 14 1935: “BLACK SUNDAY” DUST BOWL STORM STRIKES GREAT PLAINS

On this day, one of the most devastating Dust Bowl storms swept across the Great Plains, turning daytime skies so dark that many believed the world was ending. The storm, driven by high winds over years of over-plowed and drought-stricken land, carried millions of tons of dust that destroyed farms, sickened people and animals, and forced many families to abandon the region.

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