McPherson

• McPherson County officials are investigating zoning regulations and potential impacts of data centers, including collaborating with Harvey County to study the industry's local implications. →
• Steps to End Poverty in McPherson County (STEPMC) will host its inaugural 'Getting Ahead' graduation ceremony on March 24 at Inman Mennonite Church, marking a new milestone for the anti-poverty organization. →+
• McPherson Family YMCA Senior Branch Director David Foster and Y Advisory Board Member Dawn Loving visited the Kansas State Capitol for YMCA Advocacy Day, meeting with local legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly to discuss the Y's community impact. →
• McPherson County is currently paying $20 per day to feed and board four horses held as evidence in an ongoing animal cruelty case, with plans to seek reimbursement from the defendant. →
• A 2016 Caterpillar loader required nearly $11,000 in repairs after a tree branch damaged the transmission; officials discovered the machine was originally delivered without a necessary protective belly pan. →
• The Board of County Commissioners approved a $7,380 contract for EagleView's ChangeFinder software to automatically identify structural additions to properties using high-resolution flyover imagery. →
• Twelve McPherson Bullpups wrestlers earned AVCTL Division III all-league honors, highlighted by Carter Leathers receiving first-team recognition in the 285-pound category. →
• Seven McPherson Bullpups were recognized on the AVCTL Division III/IV all-league team, highlighted by first-team honors for Heidi Fairchild at 170 pounds. →
• A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for April 25 to celebrate the completion of the 12.4-mile Meadowlark Trail connecting McPherson and Lindsborg. →
• It’s going to be a nice, partly sunny day in McPherson with a high near 60, though you'll want to watch out for those south winds gusting up to 26 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Kansas legislators remain deadlocked on closing a widening budget deficit, with House and Senate budget bills projecting shortfalls exceeding $700 million for fiscal year 2026 despite passing slimmer spending plans. →

• Marion County commissioners voted 3-1 to ban large-scale commercial wind energy systems in several southwest townships and directed staff to draft a separate resolution banning solar projects in the same area. →

• The House Taxation Committee advanced a bill modifying property tax refund eligibility rules while the Federal and State Affairs Committee approved legislation requiring the state to send savings account information to families of newborns. →

• Legislative committees advanced bills granting state universities more procurement autonomy, raising counties' public bidding thresholds and exempting registered agritourism operations from local code enforcement. →

• The Kansas City Chiefs traded a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for quarterback Justin Fields to serve as backup while Patrick Mahomes recovers from December ACL and LCL surgery. →

🇺🇸 US

• Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery has outlined a multi-layered plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran, calling for four to eight aircraft overhead during convoy operations and 10 to 14 Aegis destroyers as escort ships. →

• Israel killed Iran's security chief Ali Larijani in airstrikes Monday night, according to Israel's defense minister, as Iran's government launches a new wave of repression against domestic dissent. →

• Iran's security and military forces are experiencing pay delays for the third time this year, desertions and low morale, with unverified reports indicating absence or desertion rates approaching 90 percent in some police units. →

• Fully autonomous semi trucks will begin regular interstate runs in 2027, with multiple companies preparing to roll out fleets in Texas later this year that could reshape the $900 billion U.S. freight-truck industry. →

• President Trump told reporters Monday he believes he will have "the honor of taking Cuba," saying "whether I free it, take it — I think I can do anything I want with it," as the island suffered a nationwide blackout. →

Weather

March 17 1958: Vanguard I becomes first solar-powered satellite in orbit

Launched by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Vanguard I was a small aluminum sphere about the size of a cantaloupe placed into Earth orbit. As the first satellite to use solar cells for power and now the longest‑lasting human-made object in space, it proved the durability of solar technology in orbit and provided critical early data on Earth’s shape and atmosphere, influencing both space science and later satellite design.

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