Manhattan daily brief
Manhattan, Kansas and US news for busy people - May 1, 2026 edition
Manhattan
- Riley County Commission signed contracts with Bayer Construction Co. for the long-awaited Keats Sanitary Sewer Benefit District project. →
- The Riley County Register of Deeds reported a revenue loss of $388,394 due to state-mandated changes in mortgage registration fees. →
- Riley County Commission approved vacating a portion of Lita Road to deter illegal dumping and trespassing near Fort Riley. →
- Montgomery County's administrator spoke to the Riley County Commission about the day-to-day management benefits of the administrator model. →
- The Riley County Commission voted to remove a presentation regarding the county administrator model from its agenda in a divided vote. →
- Riley County Police Department Reports 4 Arrests April 29-30 →
- Fitness expert Shelly with Prescott Performance Lab discusses how footwear and stance affect knee pain during exercises like squats. →
- Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high near 65 today, but keep an umbrella handy as isolated showers and thunderstorms move into the area this afternoon.
🌾 Kansas
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The House passed a $390 billion farm bill 224-200 on a near-party-line vote, boosting farm subsidies while preserving Trump-era cuts to food assistance after Republican infighting over pesticides, ethanol and pork regulation nearly derailed the measure. →
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Lawmakers stripped a year-round E15 ethanol sales provision from the farm bill after hours of delay, agreeing to hold a separate standalone vote on the issue in the coming weeks. →
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Gov. Laura Kelly expanded Kansas's drought declaration to all 105 counties, placing seven in emergency status as extreme drought spreads across the northwest and far southwest amid above-normal temperatures and limited rainfall. →
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The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of the nation's largest United Methodist Church with roughly 22,000 members, entered the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Kansas, where Republicans have not lost a Senate race since 1932. →
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Threats prompted lockdowns, evacuations and early dismissals at multiple Kansas schools Thursday, including Cheylin High School in Bird City, Western Plains High School in Ransom and El Dorado High School. →
🇺🇸 US
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Republican leaders are pushing Southern states to rapidly redraw congressional maps before midterm elections following a Supreme Court ruling that sharply curbed the use of race in crafting electoral districts, with Louisiana suspending scheduled congressional primaries after Gov. Jeff Landry declared the current map a nonstarter. →
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U.S. Central Command has requested deployment of the Army's Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for potential use against Iran, which would mark the weapon's first combat deployment and is driven by Iran moving ballistic-missile launchers beyond the range of existing U.S. precision strike weapons. →
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Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of her Senate race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins Thursday, citing lack of funds, leaving oyster farmer and Bernie Sanders-endorsed Graham Platner as the near-certain Democratic nominee. →
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Apple reported a record $111.2 billion in quarterly revenue, driven by a nearly 22% surge in iPhone sales, with the company projecting 14% to 17% revenue growth in the current quarter, well above analyst forecasts. →
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The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela in six years landed in Caracas Thursday, with American Airlines completing the Miami-to-Caracas route as a symbol of the Trump administration's normalization of ties with the government. →
Weather

May 1, 1958: First “Law Day” Observed in the United States
On this date, the United States marked its first official observance of Law Day, following President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s proclamation to honor the role of law in the nation’s creation and civic life. The event, first proposed by the American Bar Association, was also intended to counter the pro-labor, often communist-associated May Day celebrations by shifting public focus to Americans’ constitutional rights and the rule of law.
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