Lawrence

• Lawrence will host the Algerian men's national team for the 2026 World Cup, featuring community viewing parties and a massive earthwork flag installation near the Lied Center. →
• A major segment of the Lawrence Loop west of Iowa Street will close for one year to accommodate construction of a new K-10 overpass bridge and a dedicated bicycle bridge. →
• The multimillion-dollar renovation of the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center is nearing completion for a holiday opening, alongside a new water line project at Eagle Bend Golf Course to reduce utility costs. →
• Following neighborhood pushback, the city scrapped plans for security cameras at Veterans Park and will instead install new lighting and tables to deter recurring vandalism. →
• The school district must pull $15 million from local operating funds to cover federally mandated special education costs after the state budget provided only $6 million in new funding statewide. →
• Expanding requirements under the Blueprint for Literacy will necessitate additional screening, intervention, and increased access to licensed reading specialists in early grades. →
• Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited Cordley Elementary. →
• The school district accepted all 261 preschool applicants for fall 2026. Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift announced that every child who applied has a reserved seat at sites including the Kennedy Early Childhood Center. →
• Construction crews at the future flexible high school choice campus discovered that a historic time capsule was misplaced or relocated during previous slab work. →
• Court hearings for two teenagers charged in the fatal January shooting at the Hawk have been postponed for a third time. The repeated delays sparked frustration from the presiding judge and the families of the victims. →
• A former Lawrence elementary school speech pathologist pleaded not guilty to child sex crime charges on Monday. A jury trial for the case has been scheduled for January 2027. →
• It’s going to be a warm and partly sunny day in Lawrence with a high near 83, but hold onto your hats because those south winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly allowed a bill creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly to become law Monday without her signature, citing concerns it elevates religious freedom over free expression. →

• A severe weather outbreak April 13 produced at least 14 preliminary tornado reports across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, with the most serious damage reported in and near Ottawa, Kansas. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two abortion bills that expand legal exposure for providers and add new state-produced paperwork requirements under the Woman's Right-to-Know Act. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that expands the state's authority to verify and remove voter registrations while exempting the data used from open-records laws. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly Thursday signed legislation establishing the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act to finance a $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County for the Kansas City Chiefs beginning with the 2031 season. →

🇺🇸 US

• Student debt loads for millennials substantially exceeded those of baby boomers at similar ages, slowing wealth accumulation despite comparable median incomes and a college wage premium. →

• American home builders are installing cheaper materials like particle-board cabinets and reducing standard features such as automatic garage-door openers to offset high construction costs while new homes still sell above $400,000. →

• Cleveland has converted about 30 historic commercial buildings into apartments since 2013, pushing downtown population up 12% since 2019 to roughly 21,000 residents. →

• Amazon has expanded its new-vehicle sales program to more than 130 cities and now offers cars from Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, Chevrolet and Jeep after launching in late 2024. →

• A U.S.-sanctioned tanker linked to China sailed into the Gulf of Oman two days into President Trump's naval blockade of Iran as enforcement rules for the Strait of Hormuz remain unclear. →

Weather

APRIL 14 1935: “BLACK SUNDAY” DUST BOWL STORM STRIKES GREAT PLAINS

On this day, one of the most devastating Dust Bowl storms swept across the Great Plains, turning daytime skies so dark that many believed the world was ending. The storm, driven by high winds over years of over-plowed and drought-stricken land, carried millions of tons of dust that destroyed farms, sickened people and animals, and forced many families to abandon the region.

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