McPherson

• Court records reveal Daniel T. Hawkinson, charged with voluntary manslaughter in the death of Joshua Soden, recently completed probation for a 2023 juvenile property damage case. Hawkinson is currently free on a $200,000 bond with a court-appointed defense team ahead of his April 22 hearing. →
• A $4,500 grant from the McPherson County Community Foundation funded secure charging carts, allowing the school to shift from constant laptop access to intentional, classroom-specific use. →
• Crews have replaced deteriorating fence timbers along Euclid Street and started early spring mowing due to unseasonably warm weather. →
• Construction has begun on a cold frame shelter near the city greenhouse to provide plant storage and extend the growing season for local public spaces. →
• Staff collaborated with a local builder to construct a new cover for the cemetery's topsoil bunker to preserve soil quality used for burial plots. →
• Five local baseball teams earned spots in the latest KABC state rankings, led by McPherson at No. 4 in Class 4A. Hesston, Kingman, Pratt, and Hutchinson-Trinity Catholic also secured top-10 positions within their respective classifications. →
• The McPherson Bullpups finished third out of 14 teams at the Campus High School meet, led by Adyson Wiens' state-qualifying performance in the 200 individual medley. →
• KDHE issued an air quality health advisory April 16 after widespread prescribed burning in the Flint Hills elevated AQI values across the region, advising vulnerable populations to stay indoors and all Kansans to limit outdoor activity until rain clears the smoke. →
• The McPherson Gem & Mineral Club will host its 32nd annual three-day show and sale from May 1-3 at the McPherson County 4-H Building, featuring a swap, main show, and final sale. →
• Shelly, the owner of Prescott Performance Lab in McPherson, shared a video demonstration of hip mobility exercises along with links for online training services. →
• New real estate listings for mid-April include several affordable residential properties in McPherson, such as a 3-bedroom home on Prairie Road and a similar residence on Quail Run. →
• Expect a windy and mostly sunny start with a high near 81, but keep an eye on the sky as temperatures drop and a few thunderstorms become possible after 2 p.m.

🌾 Kansas

• NextEra Energy Resources has filed plans to erect more than 100 wind turbines in Rice County that would generate up to 300 megawatts of renewable energy, with operations targeted to begin in 2028 subject to county approval. →

• Two of three Kansans nominated by President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court faced pointed questioning Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about their connections to the August 2023 raid of the Marion County Record. →

• The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted 11-1-1 Thursday to pass an ordinance providing the financing framework for a $1.9 billion stadium project for the Royals at Washington Square Park near Crown Center. →

• Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an unusual public apology Wednesday for remarks she made about fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law. →

• A juvenile has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 14-year-old Rubi Perez, an eighth grader at Great Bend Middle School, Barton County Attorney J. Colin Reynolds announced Thursday. →

🇺🇸 US

• A record 40 Democratic and allied senators voted Wednesday to block a shipment of American-made bulldozers to Israel, followed by 36 senators voting against a separate bomb shipment, marking the largest congressional rejection of U.S. military aid to Israel in history. →

• First-quarter campaign fundraising reports show Democratic candidates posting massive hauls in competitive 2026 Senate races, with Texas Democrat James Talarico raising a record-setting $27 million while Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff raised roughly $14 million. →

• A compromise House proposal to renew the Section 702 surveillance program for five years failed to advance early Friday, forcing the House to vote for a two-week extension until April 30. →

• The U.S. government is preparing to make a version of Anthropic's powerful new AI model Mythos available to major federal agencies amid concerns the tool could sharply increase cybersecurity risk. →

• A newly struck 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding halfway into its first day, with President Trump saying the U.S. might hold discussions with Iran this weekend and is "very close to making a deal." →

Weather

APRIL 17 1970: APOLLO 13 RETURNS SAFELY TO EARTH

After an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth, NASA aborted the planned moon landing and fought to keep the crew alive. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise looped around the moon in a damaged ship and splashed down safely in the Pacific, turning near-disaster into a celebrated rescue.

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