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Kansas daily brief

Kansas and US news for busy people - Dec 22, 2025 edition

Greg Loving

22 Dec 2025 • 2 min read

Kansas City Chiefs third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun passes the ball during an NFL Week 16 road game against the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. Justin Ford Getty Images

🌾Kansas

Unusual warm spell will push Kansas Christmas temperatures into the 70s, potentially breaking records before a weekend cold front returns temps to normal 40s-50s range.
Topeka approves 3D-printed housing district for 80 tornado-resistant concrete homes starting at $165,000, completed in 2-4 months using robotic spin-cast technology.
Jackson County proposes quarter-cent sales tax through 2051 to keep the Chiefs from relocating to Kansas, calling it "Operation Save Arrowhead" ahead of April voter decision.
Wichita Brewing Company consolidates production to partner facility in El Dorado while maintaining three Wichita restaurant locations with onsite brewing.
Chiefs suffer worst loss of season to Tennessee with third-string practice-squad QB Chris Oladokun now starting after injuries to Mahomes (torn ACL) and Minshew.

🇺🇸 US

Venezuela Tanker Seizures: US pursues third oil tanker (Bella 1) near Venezuela to intensify blockade on Maduro regime, following boardings of two other vessels, aiming to force oil well closures.
Senior Medication Risks: 7.6 million Medicare seniors simultaneously take 8+ prescription drugs for 90+ days, with 3.6 million receiving medications geriatricians say elderly patients should avoid, risking dangerous side effects and falls.
Economic Uncertainty Persists: Despite economic resilience through 2025's trade wars and shutdown, Americans enter 2026 anxious about jobs and finances as mixed data shows decent job growth but rising unemployment and elevated inflation.
Pentagon Audit Failure: Defense Department fails its eighth consecutive annual financial audit since 2018, remaining the only major federal agency never to pass while managing $4.65 trillion in assets across 50 states and 40+ countries.
Europe's Ukraine Loan: EU agreed to $105 billion loan for Ukraine backed by EU budget after Belgium blocked plan to use over $200 billion in frozen Russian assets.

Weather

December 22, 2001: “Shoe bomber” Richard Reid attempts to detonate bombs on Paris-Miami flight

Thhree months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Richard Reid, 28, a British citizen and Al Qaeda member, attempts to detonate homemade bombs hidden in his shoes while aboard American Airlines Flight 63 headed to Miami from Paris. The failed attack directly led to today’s Transportation Security Administration security rules—most visibly the requirement that passengers remove their shoes at airport checkpoints.