Manhattan

• U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran responded to an audit showing the $1.25 billion NBAF research facility in Manhattan needs $75 million in repairs. →
• The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce announced support for the proposed 0.5% street maintenance sales tax on the November ballot. →
• Manhattan officials detailed a five-year plan using $8M annually in proposed sales tax funds to raise the pavement condition index. →
• The Riley County Police Department will no longer automatically close Aggieville streets in Manhattan during K-State home football games. →
• Fake Patty's Day drove 90% of RCPD midyear alcohol citations in Manhattan, with 70% occurring in neighborhoods north of Aggieville. →
• The Riley County Law Board unanimously approved equipping county jail corrections officers with pepper ball launchers for inmate safety. →
• After a chance of morning showers and thunderstorms, skies will turn mostly sunny with a high of 86°F.

🌾 Kansas

• Kansas officials held the fifth of seven public meetings Aug. 21 in Topeka to gather input for the state's Water Plan as the Ogallala Aquifer continues to decline. →

• A Butler County judge ruled Aug. 21 that El Dorado's City Commission must adopt or put to a vote a citizens' petition banning high-impact data centers and battery storage systems for 10 years. →

• Kansas City, Kansas, officials briefed the Planning Commission Aug. 10 on required zoning changes under a new state law mandating by-right approval of qualifying single-family homes, townhouses and accessory dwelling units. →

• The CDC and FDA reported Aug. 21 that an E. coli and Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from Everything Sprouts of Minneapolis has sickened 55 people across 15 states, including Kansas. →

• The USDA reported Aug. 21 that Kansas cattle placements fell 14% in July to 375,000 head amid a nationwide drop to the lowest July placement total since 1996. →

🇺🇸 US

• President Trump announced Aug. 21 a 90-day suspension of out-of-quota tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef to lower grocery prices. →

• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum finalized a decision Aug. 21 requiring Arizona, California and Nevada to cut Colorado River water use by 1.25 million acre-feet annually in 2027 and 2028. →

• Wisconsin health officials reported Aug. 21 that a measles outbreak in the state's southwest corner grew to 41 confirmed and seven probable cases, up from 15 confirmed a week earlier. →

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended his Aug. 3 freeze on new data-center approvals in comments published Aug. 23, saying developers brought public backlash on themselves. →

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Aug. 23 he would announce an "economic D-Day" of sanctions against Iran targeting buyers of its crude, as Iran's parliament advanced fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. →

Weather

AUGUST 24, 2006: PLUTO IS DEMOTED

On this day in Prague, the International Astronomical Union voted to strip Pluto of its long‑held status as the solar system’s ninth planet and reclassify it as a dwarf planet. The decision, based on a new definition of what constitutes a planet, sparked controversy among astronomers and a cultural backlash from a public attached to Pluto as a full-fledged planet.

This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our AI policy.