Hutchinson

• The Reno County Commission discussed creating zoning rules and conditional use permits for data centers and battery storage facilities. →
• Hutchinson residents voiced concerns over water use, noise, and zoning rules during a City of Hutchinson open house on data centers. →
• The Reno County Commission directed administration to find additional cuts to lower a proposed 2027 budget mill levy increase. →
• The Reno County Commission authorized participation in federal lawsuits challenging Endangered Species Act regulations. →
• The Hutchinson Fire Department dispatched a three-person crew and brush truck to Northern California to help fight wildfires. →
• Trial began in Reno County District Court for Jerry Allen, charged in the 1982 cold-case murder of Hutchinson resident Michael McKeown. →
• It’s going to be a scorcher in Hutchinson today, with sunny skies, gusty south winds, and a blazing high near 107°F pushing heat index values up to 109.

🌾 Kansas

• Four Johnson County school districts — Blue Valley, De Soto, Olathe and Shawnee Mission — have hired law firm Lathrop GPM to build a case against Kansas over alleged chronic underfunding of special education "excess costs." →

• The Greater Wichita Partnership announced Aug. 12 that Cox Airparts and Balco Inc. plan combined expansions worth more than $9 million, adding roughly 20 jobs in Sedgwick County. →

• The Barton County Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to let the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition join two federal lawsuits defending the repeal of Endangered Species Act rules. →

• USDA's Aug. 12 Crop Production report cut its Kansas sorghum forecast to 167.5 million bushels, down about a third from 2025's 252 million bushels, citing drought-driven yield declines. →

• Chicago wheat futures rose about 3% Wednesday after a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Novorossiysk port disrupted grain terminals, killed three people and wounded 24. →

🇺🇸 US

• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, citing the demands of balancing the job with raising her two young children. →

• The consumer price index rose 0.1% in July and core inflation hit its lowest annual rate since February 2026, helping push the S&P 500 and Nasdaq near record highs Wednesday on strong AI-related earnings. →

• The Department of Homeland Security plans to spend $10 million to $20 million by March 2027 on electric-shock gloves for ICE officers, drawing objections from civil liberties advocates amid scrutiny of immigration enforcement tactics. →

• Colorado River basin states meeting in Las Vegas warned Wednesday that litigation could follow if they fail to agree on post-2026 water-sharing rules, as Lake Mead has fallen to its lowest level since Hoover Dam's construction. →

• Houthi forces killed four crew members in a ballistic missile strike on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb Tuesday, while a U.S. Navy helicopter disabled an Iran-bound tanker with Hellfire missiles near the Strait of Hormuz. →

Weather

AUGUST 13, 1961: BERLIN IS DIVIDED BY EAST GERMAN REGIME

East German soldiers sealed the border through Berlin overnight with barbed wire and concrete, abruptly cutting off movement between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western sectors. The new Berlin Wall became a defining symbol of the Cold War, embodying the Soviet bloc’s determination to stop its own citizens from fleeing to the West.

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.