Hutchinson

• A storm pipe failure caused a significant washout beneath 11th Street, forcing the closure of the roadway between Kansas Highway 61 and Lorraine Street until repairs can be assessed and completed. →
• Reno County Public Works has closed the Victory Road and Lake Cable Road bridges for replacement projects as part of a broader county infrastructure effort, with no set end dates for the closures. →
• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued an air quality advisory for Hutchinson due to smoke from annual prescribed burns in the Flint Hills. Residents are advised to limit outdoor activity and keep windows closed to mitigate respiratory health risks. →
• Hutchinson is officially advancing its Trails Master Plan to expand and connect the city’s network of recreational paths. This progress marks the transition from planning to implementation for the region’s long-term outdoor infrastructure goals. →
• Hutchinson delivered a strong performance at its home tennis invitational while Buhler secured a second-place finish. →
• Kohlbie Craft powered Hutchinson to a dominant doubleheader sweep of Wichita Heights, recording two home runs and eight RBIs in 15-0 and 16-0 blowout wins. The Salthawks combined for 31 runs and 20 stolen bases across just seven innings of play to overwhelm the Falcons. →
• The McPherson Gem & Mineral Club will host its 32nd annual three-day show and sale from May 1-3 at the McPherson County 4-H Building, featuring a swap, main show, and final sale. →
• Shelly, the owner of Prescott Performance Lab in McPherson, shared a video demonstration of hip mobility exercises along with links for online training services. →
• It’s going to be a warm and windy day with a high near 83, but keep an eye on the sky for a few passing showers or thunderstorms popping up after 2 p.m.

🌾 Kansas

• NextEra Energy Resources has filed plans to erect more than 100 wind turbines in Rice County that would generate up to 300 megawatts of renewable energy, with operations targeted to begin in 2028 subject to county approval. →

• Two of three Kansans nominated by President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court faced pointed questioning Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about their connections to the August 2023 raid of the Marion County Record. →

• The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted 11-1-1 Thursday to pass an ordinance providing the financing framework for a $1.9 billion stadium project for the Royals at Washington Square Park near Crown Center. →

• Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an unusual public apology Wednesday for remarks she made about fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law. →

• A juvenile has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 14-year-old Rubi Perez, an eighth grader at Great Bend Middle School, Barton County Attorney J. Colin Reynolds announced Thursday. →

🇺🇸 US

• A record 40 Democratic and allied senators voted Wednesday to block a shipment of American-made bulldozers to Israel, followed by 36 senators voting against a separate bomb shipment, marking the largest congressional rejection of U.S. military aid to Israel in history. →

• First-quarter campaign fundraising reports show Democratic candidates posting massive hauls in competitive 2026 Senate races, with Texas Democrat James Talarico raising a record-setting $27 million while Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff raised roughly $14 million. →

• A compromise House proposal to renew the Section 702 surveillance program for five years failed to advance early Friday, forcing the House to vote for a two-week extension until April 30. →

• The U.S. government is preparing to make a version of Anthropic's powerful new AI model Mythos available to major federal agencies amid concerns the tool could sharply increase cybersecurity risk. →

• A newly struck 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding halfway into its first day, with President Trump saying the U.S. might hold discussions with Iran this weekend and is "very close to making a deal." →

Weather

APRIL 17 1970: APOLLO 13 RETURNS SAFELY TO EARTH

After an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth, NASA aborted the planned moon landing and fought to keep the crew alive. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise looped around the moon in a damaged ship and splashed down safely in the Pacific, turning near-disaster into a celebrated rescue.

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