Kansas daily brief
Kansas news for busy people - Mar 18, 2026 edition
🌾 Kansas
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Two Kansas National Guard units are currently deployed to the Middle East, the 190th Air Refueling Wing from Topeka since early March and the 130th Field Artillery Brigade from Manhattan since last summer. →
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More than 10 news organizations and 50 witnesses testified against Senate Bill 452, which would grant federal officers authority to impose 25-foot buffer zones and immunity from lawsuits, citing First Amendment concerns. →
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Kansas is now home to five billionaires worth a combined $101 billion, adding two new names this year including Peter Mallouk at $16.1 billion and Douglas Rippel at $1.4 billion. →
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The Kansas House narrowly approved legislation creating a state authority to finance major sports venues, passing 79-41 despite bipartisan concerns about subsidizing billionaire team owners. →
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Wichita State defeated Wyoming 74-70 in a first-round NIT game at Koch Arena, securing the Shockers' first postseason win since 2019. →
🇺🇸 US
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Israel has been systematically striking Iran's internal security forces as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy to destabilize the regime and create conditions for a popular uprising. →
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The United Arab Emirates and fellow Persian Gulf states now view Iran's theocracy as an existential enemy and want the regime neutered or dismantled when the conflict ends, after enduring weeks of Iranian strikes since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. →
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The average price of gasoline in the United States has climbed by nearly a dollar since the start of the war in Iran, rising from around $2.90 per gallon in mid-February to $3.70 by mid-March. →
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Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Illinois's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday and pledged to abolish ICE, defeating two House members to become the favorite for a seat held by Richard Durbin since 1997. →
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Entry-level jobs in New York City plummeted 37% between 2022 and 2024, erasing nearly 30,000 positions for recent college graduates, according to a new Center for an Urban Future report. →
Weather

March 18 1925: “Tri-State Tornado” hits, the deadliest in U.S. history
The worst tornado in U.S. history passes through eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana, killing 695 people, injuring some 13,000 people, and causing $17 million in property damage.
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