Manhattan

• The Manhattan City Commission voted to suspend parking fees and app requirements at the Aggieville garage starting June 1 to support local businesses during upcoming road construction. →
• The city commission delayed a land purchase option for Bev-Hub, citing the need for a first right of refusal clause to account for increased property values in the Corporate Technology Park. →
• Commissioners postponed eminent domain proceedings for a rural sewer extension, requesting that Riley County take the lead on securing necessary land easements. →
• City planners expect Pottawatomie County to align its land use maps with Manhattan's to guide growth and preserve industrial opportunities along their shared corridor. →
• Manhattan is deploying a fleet of 39 robotic lawnmowers to maintain city parks and sports fields, a move expected to save $30,000 annually in contracting costs. →
• Riley County Police Department Reports 8 Arrests April 21-22 →
• Keep your umbrella handy today as it’ll be mostly cloudy and breezy with a high of 79, though expect showers and thunderstorms to become likely as the day moves along.

🌾 Kansas

• The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for a $1.9 billion downtown ballpark at Crown Center, requiring $600 million from Kansas City taxpayers, hundreds of millions from the state, and at least $800 million from the team. →

• At least three Kansas schools were evacuated Wednesday after bomb threats, including Wichita's Southeast High School, Hutchinson's Central Christian School, and Buhler USD 313's Union Valley Elementary, with no devices found. →

• Kansas State University plant pathologist Kelsey Andersen Onofre is urging wheat growers to scout fields for stripe, leaf, and stem rust as the spring disease window opens and the crop breaks dormancy. →

• Great Bend High School revived Community Service Day Wednesday with 900 students and staff completing 36 projects across the city, resuming a tradition last held in 2019. →

• Local groups in Hays are working to install a $350,000 weather radar near the airport to fill an 80-mile gap that leaves Ellis County with limited low-altitude storm data, with $50,000 raised and two of three grants secured. →

🇺🇸 US

• A U.S. Navy destroyer is escorting an Iranian oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after Iranian forces seized two cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, straining a cease-fire President Trump extended Tuesday. →

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan on Wednesday after months of infighting over shipbuilding reform and attempts to bypass the chain of command. →

• Republicans fear President Trump's push last summer to redraw congressional district lines has backfired after Virginia voters approved an aggressive Democratic gerrymander and California adopted a favorable redistricting map. →

• Dem-aligned House Majority PAC reserved $272 million in television and digital advertising for November's midterms, targeting Republican-held seats from Miami to Phoenix as Democrats aim to capitalize on Trump's declining approval ratings. →

• Chinese manufacturers are moving beyond low-cost goods into advanced industries including electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries, threatening producers across developed economies with massive scale and government subsidies. →

Weather

APRIL 23, 1985: NEW COKE DEBUTS IN A MARKETING DISASTER

Coca-Cola replaced its 99-year-old formula with a sweeter “New Coke” to fend off Pepsi, but loyal customers revolted, flooding the company with thousands of angry calls and letters. Just 79 days later, the company restored the original formula as Coca-Cola Classic, and New Coke became a symbol of high-profile product flops.

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