McPherson daily brief

McPherson, Kansas and US news for busy people - Apr 27, 2026 edition

McPherson daily brief
Four McPherson Bullpups relay runners pose on the track at the Abilene Varsity Invitational, where the McPherson High School track and field teams combined for 68 personal records and the boys team finished second. (Photo Credit: Head Coach John Montgomery)

McPherson

  • Officials from McPherson and Lindsborg celebrated the opening of the 12.4-mile Meadowlark Trail, a non-motorized path linking the cities.
  • McPherson Mayor Jim Loving proclaimed May 1 as Law Day, featuring a local film premiere and educational events at McPherson institutions.
  • McPherson USD 418 Board of Education met Saturday to select a new superintendent to succeed outgoing leader Dr. Shiloh Vincent.
  • McPherson County All Schools Day organizers will launch the annual medallion and virtual button hunts on May 1 with $500 in total prizes.
  • McPherson All Schools Day organizers released traffic and parking maps for the 113th annual festival, which expects 40,000 visitors.
  • McPherson County Board of Commissioners will consider Old 81 traffic safety upgrades and new floodplain regulations at its Monday meeting.
  • The Lindsborg City Council approved an agreement for an $800,000 state grant to fund repairs on Harrison Street starting in 2027 or 2028.
  • McPherson High School track and field teams recorded 68 personal records at the Abilene Varsity Invitational; the boys team placed second.
  • The McPherson High School girls varsity swim team earned second place out of 12 schools at the Salina Invitational on Saturday.
  • McPherson High School girls softball team split a doubleheader Friday, defeating Wamego 3-1 and losing to Southeast of Saline 6-2.
  • The McPherson High School boys tennis team took fifth at a weekend invitational, led by top-three doubles finishes from two pairings.
  • Expect a beautiful partly sunny day in McPherson with a high near 69, though you'll want to watch for some gusty north winds reaching up to 23 mph.
Calendar McPherson CJ

🌾 Kansas

  • A severe weather system swept Kansas from Sunday into Monday, producing tornadoes, large hail up to golf-ball size and structural damage across central, eastern and southeastern parts of the state, with multiple tornado touchdowns reported in Labette and Montgomery counties and no injuries confirmed.

  • Insurance brokerage Lockton Cos. unveiled plans for a $765.7 million headquarters development called Hallbrook North in Leawood, featuring a headquarters tower, child-care facility, retail and restaurant space, with construction expected to begin this summer.

  • A new AI lab at Fort Hays State University is dramatically cutting research time for students, reducing projects that once took a month to just days and allowing one student to process more than 700,000 images in seven to eight hours instead of two to three days.

  • Lightning struck and destroyed a 93-foot animatronic sauropod at Field Station: Dinosaurs in Derby during severe weather Saturday night, leaving only the metal skeleton intact after Derby firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to other exhibits.

  • Kansas Democratic governor candidates Sens. Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson clashed Sunday over CoreCivic-linked campaign contributions and party establishment ties during a forum in Shawnee, though both staked out nearly identical positions on minimum wage, voting access and reproductive health care.


🇺🇸 US

  • A gunman opened fire outside the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, exchanging shots with authorities before being subdued by the Secret Service; suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, faces charges of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault of a federal officer.

  • President Trump canceled a planned trip by senior negotiators to Islamabad on Saturday, saying Iran's written proposals fell short of U.S. demands on enriched uranium and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

  • S&P 500 companies are on pace to report year-over-year earnings-per-share growth exceeding 13 percent in the first quarter, the sixth consecutive quarter above that threshold, despite weak consumer sentiment and high oil prices.

  • A study published in Nature Medicine links the herbicide picloram to rising colorectal cancer rates in adults under 50, with U.S. counties using more of the chemical showing higher incidence even after controlling for income and other pesticides.

  • Kenya's Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in 1:59:30, breaking the world record and becoming the first runner to go sub-two hours in a record-eligible marathon; Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha also finished under two hours at 1:59:41.


Weather

Weather


April 27, 1861: President Lincoln Suspends the Writ of Habeas Corpus

President Abraham Lincoln authorized General Winfield Scott to suspend the writ of habeas corpus along key military transport routes in Maryland, allowing the Union army to detain suspected Confederate sympathizers without immediate judicial review. The move sparked an intense constitutional clash, as Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that only Congress—not the president—could suspend habeas corpus, a position later essentially affirmed by the Supreme Court. Lincoln’s decision left a lasting legacy in American law and politics, becoming a central case study in how far executive power may stretch in wartime and how civil liberties can be curtailed in the name of national security.


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