Salina

• Salina City Manager Jacob Wood clarified that $500,000 in animal shelter donations was used for the construction of city dog parks. →
• Salina Public Schools USD 305 reached a tentative deal with NEA-Salina for a $1,000 teacher base pay increase for the 2026-2027 year. →
• The City of Salina is spending $898,000 to resurface roads in Oakdale Park and on several city streets beginning May 18. →
• The City of Salina is negotiating with over 40 property owners to acquire land for the Smoky Hill River Project and seven new bridges. →
• Salina city staff briefed the Salina City Commission on using federal grants to address the high costs of rehabilitating infill housing. →
• Salina Central High School junior Kaylie Shultz set a school record in the 1,600 meters and committed to run at Florida State University. →
• It’s going to be a warm, partly sunny day in Salina with a high near 92°F and gusty south winds reaching up to 37 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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