McPherson

• In a 6-1 vote, the board moved the final day for elementary students to May 14 to allow teachers time to pack classrooms ahead of upcoming school closures. →
• USD 418 is finalizing staffing, student transfers, and school boundary maps as it prepares to consolidate from four elementary schools to three next academic year. →
• McPherson Public Schools (USD 418) is asking families with children who will turn five by Aug. 31 to complete an online questionnaire to begin the enrollment process for the upcoming school year. →
• New academic measures include an advanced math pathway for middle school students and the ability for high schoolers to earn speech or forensics credits through current issues classes. →
• The district is aligning its digital tracking and curriculum pacing to prepare for a state pilot program that may replace annual summative assessments with quarterly tests. →
• Administrators are developing a strict policy to prohibit personal electronic devices during the school day to comply with new Kansas state law. →
• The county is considering four-way stops at Old Highway 81, Arrowhead Road, and 22nd Avenue after a study found vehicles speeding through a 45 mph zone. →
• The McPherson Bullpups 8U Red boys baseball team went 4-0 to capture the Salina SlugFest 8U championship, defeating the SES Sluggers 17-4 in the final game. →
• McPherson’s seventh and eighth-grade girls’ track teams secured first-place finishes at a Newton meet, highlighted by Elles Pavlovich setting a new school record in the long jump. →
• The McPherson middle school boys tennis team won seven of eight singles matches and four of five doubles matches in a dominant dual performance against Haysville. →
• The Rolling Stones tribute band Classic Stones Live will perform at the McPherson Opera House on the 17th of the month. →
• It’s going to be a beautiful, mostly sunny day in McPherson with a high of 87, but hold onto your hat as those southwesterly winds could gust up to 35 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly allowed a bill creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly to become law Monday without her signature, citing concerns it elevates religious freedom over free expression. →

• A severe weather outbreak April 13 produced at least 14 preliminary tornado reports across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, with the most serious damage reported in and near Ottawa, Kansas. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two abortion bills that expand legal exposure for providers and add new state-produced paperwork requirements under the Woman's Right-to-Know Act. →

• Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that expands the state's authority to verify and remove voter registrations while exempting the data used from open-records laws. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly Thursday signed legislation establishing the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act to finance a $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County for the Kansas City Chiefs beginning with the 2031 season. →

🇺🇸 US

• Student debt loads for millennials substantially exceeded those of baby boomers at similar ages, slowing wealth accumulation despite comparable median incomes and a college wage premium. →

• American home builders are installing cheaper materials like particle-board cabinets and reducing standard features such as automatic garage-door openers to offset high construction costs while new homes still sell above $400,000. →

• Cleveland has converted about 30 historic commercial buildings into apartments since 2013, pushing downtown population up 12% since 2019 to roughly 21,000 residents. →

• Amazon has expanded its new-vehicle sales program to more than 130 cities and now offers cars from Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, Chevrolet and Jeep after launching in late 2024. →

• A U.S.-sanctioned tanker linked to China sailed into the Gulf of Oman two days into President Trump's naval blockade of Iran as enforcement rules for the Strait of Hormuz remain unclear. →

Weather

APRIL 14 1935: “BLACK SUNDAY” DUST BOWL STORM STRIKES GREAT PLAINS

On this day, one of the most devastating Dust Bowl storms swept across the Great Plains, turning daytime skies so dark that many believed the world was ending. The storm, driven by high winds over years of over-plowed and drought-stricken land, carried millions of tons of dust that destroyed farms, sickened people and animals, and forced many families to abandon the region.

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