McPherson

• Daniel T. Hawkinson faces a two-day preliminary hearing in October regarding voluntary manslaughter charges in the Jan. 31 shooting death of Joshua Soden. →
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers extended a major repair project at Kanopolis Dam into July to add extra erosion protection, resulting in the closure of the nearby campground through the Fourth of July holiday. →
• McPherson County is currently housing inmates in neighboring Rice County to manage an elevated population of 55, while the sheriff's office aims to reduce the count to 45 to maintain proper inmate classification. →
• STEPMC will host a free-will donation taco fundraiser at Trinity Lutheran Church on April 28, offering both lunch and dinner service to support the organization. →
• Music instructors Christina Liu and Brett Janssen will collaborate for a jazz-influenced two-piano recital featuring works by Gershwin and Brubeck at The Cedars Event Center on April 25. →
• New YMCA Director David Foster announced that replacement parts are en route to restore the facility's pool and sauna to working order. →
• The McPherson Bullpups dominated Wichita Collegiate in an 8-0 road win, scoring all eight goals in the first half with multi-goal performances from Becca Lulloff, Addison Shaft, and Allison Randa. →
• The McPherson Bullpups run-ruled Emporia 15-0 at home behind a one-hit shutout from A. Schroeder before falling 12-2 to Derby. →
• The McPherson High School boys varsity tennis team finished second overall at the Buhler Invitational, led by Cooper Bohme's runner-up finish in singles and a third-place performance from the doubles duo of Jonas Emery and Rylan Unruh. →
• The McPherson High School girls varsity swim team finished fourth out of ten teams at the Hutchinson YMCA, led by Ella Schrag's first-place finish in the 100 butterfly. Adyson Wiens earned a state consideration nod in the 100 backstroke and took second in the 100 freestyle. →
• Expect a warm, breezy day with highs near 81, featuring morning drizzle followed by a chance of afternoon thunderstorms and south winds gusting up to 30 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for a $1.9 billion downtown ballpark at Crown Center, requiring $600 million from Kansas City taxpayers, hundreds of millions from the state, and at least $800 million from the team. →

• At least three Kansas schools were evacuated Wednesday after bomb threats, including Wichita's Southeast High School, Hutchinson's Central Christian School, and Buhler USD 313's Union Valley Elementary, with no devices found. →

• Kansas State University plant pathologist Kelsey Andersen Onofre is urging wheat growers to scout fields for stripe, leaf, and stem rust as the spring disease window opens and the crop breaks dormancy. →

• Great Bend High School revived Community Service Day Wednesday with 900 students and staff completing 36 projects across the city, resuming a tradition last held in 2019. →

• Local groups in Hays are working to install a $350,000 weather radar near the airport to fill an 80-mile gap that leaves Ellis County with limited low-altitude storm data, with $50,000 raised and two of three grants secured. →

🇺🇸 US

• A U.S. Navy destroyer is escorting an Iranian oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after Iranian forces seized two cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, straining a cease-fire President Trump extended Tuesday. →

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan on Wednesday after months of infighting over shipbuilding reform and attempts to bypass the chain of command. →

• Republicans fear President Trump's push last summer to redraw congressional district lines has backfired after Virginia voters approved an aggressive Democratic gerrymander and California adopted a favorable redistricting map. →

• Dem-aligned House Majority PAC reserved $272 million in television and digital advertising for November's midterms, targeting Republican-held seats from Miami to Phoenix as Democrats aim to capitalize on Trump's declining approval ratings. →

• Chinese manufacturers are moving beyond low-cost goods into advanced industries including electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries, threatening producers across developed economies with massive scale and government subsidies. →

Weather

APRIL 23, 1985: NEW COKE DEBUTS IN A MARKETING DISASTER

Coca-Cola replaced its 99-year-old formula with a sweeter “New Coke” to fend off Pepsi, but loyal customers revolted, flooding the company with thousands of angry calls and letters. Just 79 days later, the company restored the original formula as Coca-Cola Classic, and New Coke became a symbol of high-profile product flops.

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