Lawrence

• A $138,840 heavy truck purchase from a Johnson County dealer prompted commissioners to call for a formal policy favoring local Douglas County vendors. →
• Commissioners are waiting for the results of a Lawrence city housing study before scheduling a joint meeting to update shared affordable housing priorities and plans. →
• Douglas County spent roughly $3,000 on outside counsel to mediate a $5,000 boundary dispute between neighbors under an archaic 19th-century Kansas statute. →
• The county's draft environmental plan highlights a continued reduction in herbicide use and avoids chemical treatments for invasive species in Lone Star Lake. →
• The health department is building relationships with neighboring counties as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment explores a regionalized approach to health service delivery. →
• The Lawrence Public Library plaza is being considered for a large-scale World Cup sculpture designed to welcome visitors near a major transit stop. →
• Youth art collective Hang12 will unveil a mural featuring painted native plants and animals at the New Hampshire Street Parking Garage on April 9. →
• KU placed Delta Upsilon fraternity on probation for hazing. →
• Shelly Prescott, owner of Prescott Performance Lab in McPherson, explains the importance of including mobility work in fitness routines. →
• Expect a gorgeous, sunny day in Lawrence with a high near 74 and a light northern breeze.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed House Bill 2412, rejecting a Republican-led measure that would have required Kansas high school students to pass an American civics test before graduation, citing the state constitution's grant of curriculum authority to the State Board of Education. →

• Kansas voters will decide in the August 2026 primary whether to replace the state's merit-based Supreme Court selection system with direct elections, an amendment placed on the ballot by Republican lawmakers as the Supreme Court Nominating Commission begins filling the vacancy left by retiring Chief Justice Marla Luckert. →

• The Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted 61-1 to sanction girls flag football as an official sport, with competition set to begin in the 2026-27 school year, making Kansas the 18th state to adopt the sport. →

• The Kansas Department of Labor began mailing notices to 8,526 individuals who collectively received $67.4 million in pandemic-era unemployment overpayments, warning that those who fail to respond may face liens, wage garnishment, or property seizure. →

• Six months after youth football coach Travon Stewart, 32, was fatally shot at a Wichita park during a youth football game, police have made no arrests, with Crime Stoppers offering a $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest. →

🇺🇸 US

• The U.S. has fired more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles and up to 2,000 air-defense interceptors since the Iran war began Feb. 28, with officials warning depleted stockpiles could limit America's ability to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion in the near term. →

• Wall Street banks including JPMorgan Chase are struggling to offload billions in data center loans tied to Oracle, straining financing capacity for the AI buildout as internal lending caps force some developers to seek alternative tenants. →

• Disapproval of President Trump has risen to 58 percent — the highest of his second term — according to a New York Times polling average, amid rising gas prices linked to the Iran war and broader economic concerns. →

• Meta Platforms will lay off roughly 8,000 employees, about 10 percent of its workforce, in May to reduce costs and fund up to $135 billion in AI infrastructure spending this year. →

• U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is pushing allies to pay a "national security premium" for critical minerals sourced outside China, with proposals for a trading bloc that would set minimum prices and impose steep tariffs on outside producers. →

Weather

APRIL 24 1980: IRAN HOSTAGE RESCUE MISSION ENDS IN DISASTER

An attempted U.S. special-operations raid to free 52 American hostages in Tehran collapsed when multiple helicopters failed and one collided with a transport plane at a desert staging site. Eight U.S. servicemen were killed, no hostages were rescued, and President Jimmy Carter publicly took responsibility for the failed mission, which further damaged his presidency.

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