McPherson

• McPherson Main Street earned 2026 national accreditation for downtown revitalization →
• The Kansas Department of Commerce awarded $100,000 to McPherson Main Street to renovate downtown upper-story space into short-term rentals. →
• McPherson Public Library and the McPherson Convention & Visitors Bureau will host a free silent disco series in McPherson during June. →
• McPherson County school districts approved a two-year exploratory proposal to launch the CAPS career program, connecting high school juniors and seniors with industry mentors across fields like engineering, business and medicine. →
• The McPherson Education Foundation awarded annual grants to McPherson USD 418 educators for classroom projects and learning tools. →
• The McPherson Public Library and McPherson County Health Department will host a Summer Kick Off Party at Memorial Park on May 15. →
• The McPherson Public Library will host a Crafts With Cara workshop on May 20 for participants to create framed art from personal trinkets. →
• Good Beginnings Preschool in McPherson will host a Stuffy Sleepover Adventure fundraiser on May 15 for local children and their toys. →
• Tara Williams of the McPherson Center for Health received the Excellence in Service Award from the Kansas Association of Medical Staff Services. →
• It’s going to be a windy and partly sunny Thursday in McPherson with a high near 91°F and south southeast gusts reaching up to 35 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Evergy reported adjusted first-quarter 2026 earnings of roughly $162 million, up from $128 million a year earlier, following a Kansas Corporation Commission rate hike that took effect in October 2025 for Evergy Kansas Central customers. →

• KC-area Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Cindy Holscher named state Rep. KC Ohaebosim of Wichita as her running mate for lieutenant governor, with the pair pledging to "shake up the establishment" ahead of a crowded 2026 Kansas governor's race featuring three Democrats and nine Republicans. →

• Riley County Police Director Brian Peete publicly rebuked Wabaunsee County Sheriff Eric Kirsch for wearing his badge while equating law enforcement to the "logistical backbone of both slavery and the Holocaust" at a weekend music event. →

• Great Bend reopened its historic Sunflower Rod and Custom Association Drag Strip on Thursday after replacing more than 2,300 feet of pavement and adding a new timing tower following a multi-year closure. →

• USDA projected the 2026 U.S. wheat harvest will be the smallest since 1972, with Kansas agronomists citing dry conditions that prevented adequate grain fill during the spring growing season. →

🇺🇸 US

• President Trump left Beijing after a two-day summit with Xi Jinping that produced sweeping rhetorical claims about trade deals and Iran policy but no verifiable commitments from either side. →

• An X user's experiment revealed over 1,100 people criticized an authentic late-period Monet painting as AI-generated after it was framed as machine-made, highlighting how labels shape art perception. →

• Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their local area, with opposition exceeding resistance to nuclear power plants, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday. →

• Global oil reserves are depleting at a record pace with analysts warning acute fuel shortages and sharp price spikes could emerge within weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. →

• CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba Thursday, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since the Trump administration began its pressure campaign, arriving one day after Havana announced it had run out of fuel oil and diesel. →

Weather

May 15, 1942: Seventeen States Put Gasoline Rationing Into Effect

Gasoline rationing began in 17 Eastern states to conserve fuel and rubber for the U.S. World War II war effort. Ration stamps limited how much individuals could drive, curbing nonessential travel and reshaping everyday American life on the home front.

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