Manhattan

• The board approved a comprehensive plan amendment to guide growth east of the city, proposing a 700-acre industrial park and a six-lane expansion of U.S. Route 24. While designed to resolve land-use conflicts, the plan faced criticism for promoting low-density sprawl and carrying significant infrastructure costs for future annexation. →
• Economic development is accelerating at the airport business park with a new commercial facility permit issued and an Amazon logistics center nearing completion. →
• The Manhattan City Commission approved $465,479 for design and pre-construction of the Moro Street project, advancing the revitalization effort while seeking further business owner feedback on parking layouts. →
• The Manhattan City Commission unanimously authorized a construction manager search for an $8.25 million, privately funded zoo expansion featuring new lemur and bobcat habitats. →
• Riley County motor vehicle registration fees are scheduled to increase starting July 1 following previous commission action. →
• Kansas State University raised over $7.5 million during its second annual Day of Giving, doubling last year’s total through contributions from more than 2,700 donors. The 24-hour event supported various academic programs and featured a popular initiative where over 1,200 participants donated to name campus squirrels. →
• Keep your umbrella handy today as it’ll stay cloudy and cool with a high near 59 and scattered showers and storms possible throughout the afternoon.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation placing sweeping new regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, including bans on spread pricing and mandates that drug rebates pass through to health plans. →

• The Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two bills expanding state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, requiring sheriffs to honor ICE detainers and compelling state agencies to share data with federal departments. →

• The Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes on 15 bills in a single session, spanning immigration enforcement, abortion provider liability, executive authority, voter registration, juvenile justice and education. →

• A 14-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder after a missing 14-year-old girl's body was found Thursday morning behind a dirt pile in Great Bend. →

• Mayor Quinton Lucas and Kansas City councilmembers introduced a $600 million funding package for a new downtown Royals stadium at Washington Square Park, part of a $1.9 billion development with no new taxes. →

🇺🇸 US

• AI-powered coding tools have created a backlog crisis for companies, with one financial services firm's output jumping from 25,000 to 250,000 lines of code monthly after adopting Cursor, leaving one million lines awaiting review. →

• America's office buildings are selling at massive discounts, including a Chicago building that went for $4 million after selling for $68.1 million a decade ago, as landlords accept the permanence of remote work. →

• The White House warned staff in a March 24 email against using insider information on the Iran war to bet on financial markets amid suspicious trading, including $580 million in oil futures bought minutes before Trump delayed an Iran deadline. →

• NASA's Artemis II crew faces re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at 5,000 degrees after circling the moon, with splashdown expected Friday evening in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. →

• The United States and Iran will meet Saturday in Islamabad for cease-fire talks brokered by Pakistan, as Iran maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz despite promises to reopen the waterway. →

Weather

April 10, 1971: U.S. Table Tennis Team Visits Communist China

The visit of the U.S. table tennis team to the People’s Republic of China marked the start of “ping-pong diplomacy,” as Beijing used sports to signal a desire for warmer ties with Washington. The weeklong tour helped thaw decades of Cold War hostility and paved the way for President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to China.

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