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Kansas daily brief

Kansas and US news for busy people - Jan 20, 2026 edition

Greg Loving

20 Jan 2026 • 2 min read

A combine rolls through a wheat field during the 2022 summer wheat harvest near Geneseo, Kansas.(Seth Rolfs)

🌾Kansas

Farm Aid Request: Farm groups say Trump's $12B aid package is only a "first step" toward covering multi-year agricultural losses from low commodity prices, high costs, and trade war damage.
Prison Funding Omitted: Gov. Kelly's budget excludes $453M to rebuild the 135-year-old Hutchinson prison despite warnings its deteriorating conditions—including 40-sq-ft cells and no AC—could trigger a federal lawsuit.
School Tax Credit Expansion: Kansas Legislature introduced HB 2468 to expand tax credits for private school scholarships and participate in a new federal scholarship tax credit program before adjourning for MLK weekend.
Lawrence Fatal Shooting: An 18-year-old was killed and a 16-year-old critically injured in a Saturday shooting at Jayhawk Cafe; two suspects face murder and assault charges.
Bill Self Hospitalized: KU basketball coach Bill Self was hospitalized Monday with IV fluids and will miss Tuesday's game at Colorado—his third health scare since 2023, including recent stent surgery.

🇺🇸 US

Trump returns to Davos with largest U.S. delegation in years, threatening European tariffs over Greenland dispute while planning to discuss banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
100+ vehicles crashed on Michigan's I-196 in lake-effect snow pileup involving dozens of jackknifed semis; numerous injuries but no deaths reported.
Geomagnetic storm brings northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California, with auroras also visible across parts of UK and Southern Hemisphere.
Iranian regime reportedly killed 3,000+ protesters in brutal crackdown last week, ending mass demonstrations that erupted over economic collapse and political freedoms.
Indiana won first-ever national championship with perfect 16-0 season, stunning turnaround for program with second-most losses in college football history.

Weather

January 20 1981: Iran Hostage Crisis ends

minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis.