Manhattan

• Bayer Construction proposed a $72,000 credit to fully close Anderson Avenue for summer paving to speed up the project, but commissioners are pushing for a higher discount. →
• Riley County police are investigating after a man reported that a woman he knew stole $6,000 from his bank accounts. The alleged fraud took place Thursday afternoon in the 1000 block of South Seth Child Road. →
• A finalized lease agreement for a new police substation in the Aggieville district is under review, with a target move-in date of October. →
• The county is installing posters and single-occupant locks on multi-occupant restrooms to comply with Senate Bill 244 regarding access based on biological sex. →
• Officials proposed a timeline to hire the county's first administrator by late fall 2026, with full department funding deferred until 2027 to manage costs. →
• The city will utilize Community Development Block Grant funding to replace equipment at Northview, Goodnow, and Longs Parks as part of an effort to update aging playgrounds. →
• The minimum hiring age for summer lifeguards was raised back to 16 due to scheduling difficulties with labor laws, though the city remains close to its 120-person staffing goal. →
• A recent winter storm resulted in $147,000 in costs for the city and caused significant mechanical failures in snow removal equipment. →
• Rapid expansion in youth baseball and softball has prompted the city to add additional teams and upgrade player apparel ahead of the spring season. →
• USD 383 schools are closed for spring break from March 16 through March 20. Classes will resume on Monday, March 23. →
• Expect a bright but frigid day in the Little Apple with sunny skies, a high of 35, and biting northwest winds gusting up to 35 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• The Rock Volunteer Fire Department in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, unanimously rejected a $250,000 donation from Google, citing loyalty to community members who have funded the department for decades amid resident concerns about a planned 827-acre data center. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly signed four bills Thursday, including measures modifying optometry scope of practice, designating Kansas as a Purple Heart state, requiring mutual waiver of consequential damages in public construction contracts and exempting certain nonprofit electric cooperative subsidiaries from State Corporation Commission jurisdiction. →

• The Kansas Senate advanced SB 515 in a 23-16 vote, allowing non-accredited private school students to participate in nonpublic school activities and placing a moratorium on certain interscholastic event rules. →

• Kansas City's World Cup preparations continue despite $59 million of nearly $80 million in federal funding for personnel and security remaining undistributed due to the partial government shutdown, with the first match scheduled for June 16. →

• Kansas earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament East Region and will face No. 13 seed Cal Baptist on March 20 in San Diego, marking the Jayhawks' 53rd all-time tournament appearance and 36th consecutive since 1990. →

🇺🇸 US

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright said US military escorts for tankers through the Strait of Hormuz are not currently possible but are "quite likely" to be in place by April as Brent crude crossed $105 per barrel. →

• President Trump announced US Central Command carried out a massive bombing raid on Kharg Island, destroying every military target while deliberately sparing oil infrastructure that handles 80% to 90% of Iran's oil exports. →

• The Trump administration plans to announce as soon as this week that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials. →

• Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are threatening global fertilizer supply chains as about 40% of all urea must pass through the strait and dozens of loaded vessels are currently unable to get through. →

• President Trump told the Financial Times that China should help keep the Strait of Hormuz open and said he may delay his planned Beijing summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, originally scheduled for March 31 through April 2. →

Weather

March 16 2008: Bear Stearns collapses, sold to J.P. Morgan Chase

Bear Stearns seemed to be riding high with a stock market capitalization of $20 billion in early 2007. But its increasing involvement in the hedge-fund business, particularly with risky mortgage-backed securities, paved the way for it to become one of the earliest casualties of the subprime mortgage crisis that led to the Great Recession.

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