Manhattan

• A stream advisory is in effect for Tuttle Creek Cove following a diesel fuel spill from a commercial barge. The public is advised to avoid the water until remediation efforts are complete and the area is deemed safe for contact. →
• Officials are monitoring House Bill 2396, which would implement a 3 percent cap on property tax increases and revert budgets to previous levels if protests are successful. →
• Parks and Recreation is expanding its summer camp formats to provide more options for families facing childcare shortages in the community. →
• The Manhattan City Commission unanimously rejected a $660,000 renovation bid for the Blue Earth Plaza water feature after it came in 42% over the architect's estimate. Officials authorized city administration to negotiate directly with the contractor for a lower price to convert the feature into a zero-depth splash pad. →
• The Riley County Jail has installed the Guardian RFID system to create a digital audit trail for inmate safety checks and facility movements to reduce liability. →
• County officials have closed the bidding window and are now reviewing submitted proposals to determine the future use of the former First Christian Church property. →
• Riley County is waiting for the EPA to issue final procedural guidelines so it can access an earmarked federal grant for the Keats wastewater program. →
• Planned expansions for the ATA Bus system have been put on hold following cuts to regional funding sources. →
• Expect a beautiful, bright sunny day today with a high reaching 83 degrees and light northerly winds.

🌾 Kansas

• The Kansas House passed two housing bills Wednesday, including SB 418 creating streamlined permits for new housing projects (97-27) and SB 391 prohibiting cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers (75-49). →

• Kansas communities split on data centers as Wellington approves a letter of intent for its first Tier IV facility, Saline County enacts a three-year moratorium citing water and grid concerns, and Harvey County delays action pending research on tax and energy impacts. →

• The House Elections Committee Wednesday advanced substitute versions of three GOP bills that would end mail ballot elections for most local jurisdictions, require citizenship status on driver's licenses and modify advance ballot signature verification rules. →

• House Bill 2433, which blocks counties from regulating water appropriations and transfers, has passed both chambers and awaits Gov. Laura Kelly's signature after a dispute with Edwards County over Hays and Russell's water pipeline project. →

• Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport announced Tuesday it will host a food drive for TSA workers who have been working without pay since the Feb. 14 partial government shutdown began. →

🇺🇸 US

• Missiles struck Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world's largest LNG export facility, causing extensive damage and fires with no casualties as oil surged past $115 a barrel and European natural-gas prices jumped more than 20 percent. →

• President Trump denied advance knowledge of Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field after American and Israeli officials said the U.S. was informed ahead of time and Trump had approved the strike. →

• Escalating attacks on Persian Gulf oil-and-gas infrastructure are pushing the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran into a more dangerous phase, with Israel striking the South Pars gas field and Iran retaliating against Qatar's gas hub and firing missiles at Riyadh. →

• The war on Iran has caused the largest oil supply disruption in history, but most economists put recession probability at 32 percent, saying oil would need to reach $138 a barrel and stay elevated for about 14 weeks to push odds above 50 percent. →

• The missile strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City threaten Europe with a second energy crisis as the facility became one of Europe's most critical LNG suppliers after the 2022 Ukraine War severed the continent from Russian gas. →

Weather

March 19 2003: War in Iraq begins

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