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McPherson daily brief

McPherson, Kansas and US news for busy people - Feb 5, 2026 edition

Greg Loving

05 Feb 2026 • 4 min read

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McPherson

Mayor James (Jim) Loving is prioritizing affordable workforce housing as a critical infrastructure requirement to support the city's industrial growth and labor force retention. →
Finance Director Richard Miller reported the city ended the 2025 fiscal year with a $616,000 surplus and sales tax revenues 11% above projections. →
McPherson's plastics plants could leverage AI and automation to capture reshored production and compete with lower overseas labor costs, following a successful model used by an Ohio manufacturer to drive 20% growth. →
The south entrance to the Dillon’s on North Main Street will close for approximately two weeks starting Thursday for city reconstruction work. →
The McPherson Bullpups boys wrestling team secured a dominant 82-0 victory over Towanda-Circle, winning every match through a combination of pins, technical falls, and forfeits. →
Expect mostly cloudy skies today with a mild high of 64°F and a light breeze before temperatures drop sharply tonight.

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🌾Kansas

Marijuana Legalization: House Democrats introduced a four-bill package to legalize medical and recreational cannabis in Kansas, with constitutional amendments sending the question to voters and revenue funding social programs like child care and mental health services.
Argentina World Cup: Argentina's national soccer team selected Kansas City as their training base for the 2026 World Cup, with matches scheduled at Arrowhead Stadium.
Minimum Wage Increase: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Cindy Holscher proposed raising Kansas' minimum wage from $7.25 to $16/hour, affecting 22% of Kansans though economists warn of potential strain on small businesses.
Aviation Tax Credits: The House passed $8.2 million in aerospace tax credits 81-39, exposing a GOP rift as conservative Republicans criticized the measure as corporate welfare while property taxes remain high.
Term Limits Convention: The House narrowly approved (78-42) a resolution calling for a constitutional convention on congressional term limits, moving Kansas closer to the 34 states needed to trigger a national Article V convention.

🇺🇸 US

• U.S. Forms Allied Trade Bloc With Price Floors To Counter China's Critical Minerals Dominance - The U.S. launched FORGE, a 28-country partnership with coordinated price floors and financing to counter China's dominance in critical minerals used for tech and defense, backed by Trump's $12 billion Project Vault reserve for rare earths and lithium.

• Trump Navigates Great Power Triangle As Xi Aligns With Putin Before Taiwan Warning - Trump held a two-hour call with Xi after the Chinese leader coordinated with Putin on global issues, highlighting a tri-polar world order where Trump navigates between an increasingly unified Beijing-Moscow axis and U.S. interests.

• Local Counties Cooperate With ICE, Prompting Trump To Withdraw 700 Officers From Minnesota - Trump withdrew 700 federal immigration officers from Minnesota after counties began cooperating with ICE, allowing a "softer touch" following criticism over aggressive tactics and two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens.

• Bezos Directs Washington Post To Cut One-Third Of Workforce In AI-Era Reset - The Washington Post will eliminate one-third of its workforce, shuttering sports and books desks, suspending flagship podcasts, and gutting international bureaus in what leadership calls an AI-era strategic reset.

• Beijing Invests $1 Trillion In Self-Sufficiency As U.S. And China Accept Economic Decoupling - China allocated nearly $1 trillion since 2024 for self-sufficiency in agriculture, energy, and semiconductors as both nations accept inevitable economic decoupling, with Xi making U.S. rivalry the primary driver of China's economic strategy.

Weather

February 5 1917: Immigration Act passed over President Wilson’s veto

Echoing present day's debates, Congress overrides President Woodrow Wilson’s veto of the previous week and passes the Immigration Act of 1917. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines.