Manhattan

• A six-month pause on data center and battery storage developments was approved to allow staff time to draft zoning regulations addressing water usage and fire risks. →
• Commissioners awarded over $2 million in contracts to Shilling Construction and Vance Brothers for 2026 asphalt overlay and chip seal projects. →
• The county is seeking to bypass standard bidding processes to immediately replace the Law Enforcement Center's failed backup generator and avoid mounting rental costs. →
• High inmate volume and healthcare needs have nearly exhausted Riley County's $31,000 jail medical budget for the year within the first quarter. →
• The Kansas Historical Society has awarded a contract for a state-funded restoration project to repair original windows and doors at the historic Goodnow House. →
• Former Riley County corrections officer Ashley Britt was arrested Friday on eight counts of trafficking contraband to inmates. Britt resigned from her position after the allegations surfaced and has been booked into the Geary County Jail. →
• A 'Terra Trivia' event focused on ecosystems and the planet will be held on April 15 as part of the Science on Tap series. →
• It’s going to be a beautiful, mostly sunny day in the Little Apple with a high of 88, though you'll want to watch out for those gusty southwest winds reaching up to 35 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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