Kansas daily brief
Kansas and US news for busy people - Jan 8, 2026 edition
🌾Kansas
• Kansas legislators propose statewide school cellphone ban - Bipartisan Senate Bill 302, backed by two-thirds of the Senate, would require all schools to restrict student phone use during instruction by September, overriding local district authority.
• Kansas House committee reviews rejected university budget requests - Six state universities presented funding proposals to restore budget enhancements previously denied by the interim legislative committee, which threatened to reallocate unused current funding.
• ICE agent fatally shoots Kansas City woman in Minneapolis - Renee Good, 37, a U.S. citizen with plans to move to Canada due to US politics, was killed while observing immigration enforcement actions; she was not an arrest target.
• Back-to-back storms to hit Kansas Thursday-Friday - Heavy rain and potential flooding Thursday will be followed by 3-5 inches of snow in southwest Kansas Friday, with icy roads, strong winds, and hazardous travel conditions expected.
• Argentina eyes Kansas City as World Cup base camp - The Argentine national team favors KC over Dallas for its tournament headquarters, citing lighter traffic and considering Sporting KC, KC Current, and Rock Chalk Park (Lawrence) raining facilities.
Greg Loving
🇺🇸 US
• Trump Venezuelan Oil Plan: Trump administration developing multi-year strategy to control Venezuela's state oil company and market most of its production, aiming to dominate Western Hemisphere reserves while excluding Russia/China and driving prices to $50/barrel.
• Gulf Coast Refinery Needs: U.S. refineries require Venezuelan heavy crude since 70% of American refining capacity was designed for heavier oil grades, not domestic light shale crude.
• Oil Price Drop Threatens Drilling: Oil prices fell from $78 to $56/barrel since Trump took office, benefiting consumers with $2.80 gas, but approaching the $50 threshold where U.S. producers stop drilling, potentially devastating the domestic shale industry despite Trump's push for lower prices.
• Minnesota Shooting Confrontation: Federal immigration agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis during what officials called their "largest operation to date" with 2,000 agents deployed, sparking sharp condemnation from Mayor Frey ("bullshit") and Governor Walz amid escalating Trump administration tensions.
• Iran Regime Collapse Bets: Spreading protests and bazaar closures across multiple Iranian cities amid economic crisis have driven Polymarket odds of Supreme Leader Khamenei's removal by June to 36% (up from under 20%), reflecting speculation on Trump's emboldened foreign policy approach.
Greg Loving
Weather
January 8 1815: The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the war had technically ended because the peace treaty—Treaty of Ghent—was signed on December 24, 1814, but news hadn’t reached the Gulf Coast yet. Without fast communication, British forces attacked and Andrew Jackson’s entrenched Americans won a decisive victory even though the treaty had already restored peace.