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Kansas daily brief

Kansas and US news for busy people - Dec 23, 2025 edition

Greg Loving

30 Dec 2025 • 2 min read

Bill Sproul ranches 2,200 acres in the Flint Hills according to a philosophy he calls “community-based conservation,” which he developed after reading Aldo Leopold’s seminal collection of essays about environmental conservation, “A Sand County Almanac.” (Photo by Erin Socha for Kansas Reflector)

🌾Kansas

Kansas wins $221M federal healthcare grant - Kansas received a larger-than-typical CMS award to fund rural health transformation, focusing on prevention, primary care access, workforce development, value-based care, and technology.
Chiefs stadium plan passes sales tax costs to consumers - Kansas's proposed STAR bond financing for the Chiefs' new stadium would redirect local sales taxes to cover 60% of costs, forcing businesses to raise prices while district boundaries remain hotly negotiated.
Corn export boom slashes U.S. stockpiles - USDA raised corn export projections by 125 million bushels to 3.2 billion due to record shipments reaching 16 new countries, cutting ending stocks to 2 billion bushels.
Flint Hills rancher revives tallgrass prairie ecosystem - Bill Sproul's regenerative grazing practices on 2,200 acres have restored native biodiversity, evidenced by the return of rattlesnake master plants after eight years of holistic land management.
Lawrence woman ordained as Kansas's first Catholic woman priest - Tina Thompson joined the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement in an ordination the Vatican doesn't recognize.

🇺🇸 US

CIA drone strike in Venezuela: The CIA conducted its first known drone strike inside Venezuela, targeting a Tren de Aragua gang drug storage facility at a port dock with no reported casualties.
Electricity costs driving political battles: Electricity prices surged nationwide with wide state variations (8-27 cents per kWh), driven by data centers, natural disasters, and grid upgrades—fueling voter anger that helped Democrats win key 2025 races in New Jersey and Georgia.
LA implements strictest rent controls in 40 years: Los Angeles will cap annual rent increases at 1-4% starting February, down from 3-8%, amid intensifying debate over whether controls help tenants or worsen housing shortages.
Starbucks closes 400 urban stores: Starbucks is shuttering ~400 metropolitan locations in a $1 billion restructuring, abandoning its saturation strategy due to remote work trends, competition, and rising costs.
China expands Arctic presence: Chinese research submarines traveled beneath Arctic ice for the first time this summer, with military and research vessels around Alaska reaching unprecedented numbers—raising U.S. security concerns about commercial and military positioning.

Weather

December 30 1968: In a college gym in Spokane, Washington, a concertgoer makes the first live (bootleg) recording

of rock band Led Zeppelin, five nights into their first US tour.