McPherson daily brief
McPherson, Kansas and US news for busy people - Feb 20, 2026 edition
McPherson
- MHS Soccer Coach Chris Adrian is urging community support for a school bond, advocating for the existing multi-use athletic field, emphasizing its broad utility for soccer, track, band, and PE classes beyond just varsity football. →
- McPherson resident Olivia Fetsch is urging the community to vote 'Yes' on a March 3 school bond to fund critical infrastructure repairs, including security upgrades and climate control, for USD 418 facilities. →
- The McPherson Opera House Apt. 6 resale shop will host a prom dress sale on Feb. 21 featuring dresses for $25 or less, along with shoes, accessories, and complimentary prom night gift bags. →
- The McPherson Opera House successfully restored its deteriorating upper-level windows using grant funding from the McPherson County Community Foundation, addressing safety concerns at the historic landmark. →
- The Lakeside Cabin at Lakeside Park is undergoing renovations this week, featuring the installation of a new interlocking floating floor and various surface repairs to refresh the community event space. →
- McPherson High School basketball coaches Kurt and Clint Kinnamon appeared on the Kansas Sports Chatter YouTube show to share stories and insights about the history and unique atmosphere of the historic Roundhouse gymnasium. →
- Expect increasing clouds and a high of 39 today, but bundle up for a chilly north wind and overnight lows dropping to 22.
🌾 Kansas
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The Kansas House passed HB 2503 on Thursday on a 72-50 party-line vote, repealing the state's Mail Ballot Election Act and eliminating the framework that allowed certain local elections to be conducted entirely by mail. →
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Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Agriculture announced that Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems has been awarded a $3 million grant to develop Beyond Visual Line of Sight unmanned aerial systems technology for agricultural use across Kansas. →
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The Kansas House passed HB 2738 on a 72-50 vote Thursday, directing the secretary for children and families to seek a federal waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy and soft drinks with SNAP benefits. →
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The Kansas House voted 95-27 on Thursday to pass HB 2676, expanding pharmacists' scope of practice to allow them to initiate therapy for certain conditions and fill a 90-day emergency supply of noncontrolled prescription drugs when no refills remain. →
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A cold front swept through Kansas on Thursday, raising humidity to 20 percent and higher and significantly reducing the fire threat that had menaced the state. →
🇺🇸 US
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President Trump is considering an initial limited military strike on Iran targeting a small number of military or government sites to pressure Tehran into accepting his demands for a nuclear deal, with a broader campaign planned if Iran refuses to end its nuclear enrichment. →
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President Trump faces an unusually difficult risk assessment as he weighs military strikes against Iran because there is no clear alternative leader or unified opposition movement that would emerge if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's regime collapses. →
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Starbucks is attempting to boost afternoon sales at its U.S. stores, where more than half of its $12 billion in annual company-operated sales occur before 11 a.m., leaving baristas working through slower afternoon and evening hours. →
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Amazon has surpassed Walmart as the largest U.S. company by annual revenue, posting $716.9 billion in sales for its most recent full year compared with Walmart's $713.2 billion for the year through January 31. →
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Alan Dershowitz has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 ruling that requires public figures to prove "actual malice" to win a defamation case. →
Weather

February 20 1962: John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth
During the early 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in the Cold War, a global struggle between American-led capitalism and democracy and Soviet-led communism, with each side racing for military, nuclear, and technological superiority. The USSR’s early spaceflight successes—like Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 orbit and Gherman Titov’s multi-orbit mission—made the U.S. appear technologically inferior, intensifying pressure on NASA to match and surpass Soviet achievements in space.
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