Lawrence

• KU’s enrollment across all campuses rose 0.9% to a record 31,464 students, setting a new high for the third consecutive year. →
• The Douglas County Commission is preparing draft regulations for battery energy storage systems and policies for data centers. →
• The Douglas County Commission is helping facilitate an economic impact study for Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. →
• The Douglas County Commission scheduled a work session to review regional guidelines and zoning plans for the Wakarusa area. →
• Residents urged the Douglas County Commission to weigh costs and scope before expanding the Monarch CARES homeless program in Lawrence. →
• The Douglas County Commission expressed concern over the closure of KU's Hilltop Child Development Center, citing local child care needs. →
• Grab your umbrella this morning, Lawrence, as we're looking at cloudy skies with showers and thunderstorms likely and a high of 72°F.

🌾 Kansas

• Kansas community college enrollment fell 1.9% and technical college enrollment dropped 6.8% this fall even as the state's six public universities grew 0.7%, according to Kansas Board of Regents figures released Sept. 30. →

• Textron Aviation announced Sept. 30 it has launched three paid, state-registered aviation apprenticeships for Kansas high schoolers 16 and older, partnering with WSU Tech and Tri County Tech. →

• The Fort Hays State University Foundation opened a "Save Sternberg" fund Sept. 30 seeking at least $855,000 by Dec. 31 to support the Sternberg Museum of Natural History after a $2.4 million state funding cut forces its public closure Dec. 18. →

• Kansas farmers harvested 200.6 million bushels of wheat in 2026, down 42% from 2025, as drought cut average yields from 51 to 34 bushels per acre, USDA reported Sept. 30. →

• Storms fed by the remnants of Pacific Hurricane Polo produced 15 tornado reports across Kansas by 8 p.m. Sept. 30 and triggered flood warnings in western Kansas counties after 1 to 4 inches of rain. →

🇺🇸 US

• Flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain and sent an Israel-bound jet carrying 180 people plummeting 14,000 feet before passengers subdued him and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. →

• The Commerce Department reported Sept. 30 that the PCE price index rose 3.4% in the year through August, below forecasts, even as global bonds posted their worst month in years and the 10-year Treasury yield neared 5.3%. →

• Ohio lawmakers passed a 90-day suspension of state gas and diesel taxes Sept. 30, sending the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine, as Indiana Gov. Mike Braun extended his state's gas tax suspension through Nov. 4. →

• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted the state's remaining scheduled execution after Christa Gail Pike, 50, survived a lethal injection attempt Sept. 30 and remained conscious with a heartbeat following two doses of pentobarbital. →

• The Federal Trade Commission is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI developers, including testing group METR, over potential consumer harm from autonomous AI agents, news outlets reported Sept. 30. →

Weather

October 1, 1958: American Express Launches Its First Charge Card

American Express introduced its first charge card in the U.S. and Canada to give travelers more flexible payment options with participating merchants. Unlike later revolving credit cards, cardholders were required to pay their full balance each month.

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