Salina

• Salina Family Healthcare Center has broken ground on a $55 million facility that will double its capacity for medical, dental, and behavioral health services. Scheduled to open in 2027, the new 76,000-square-foot center will consolidate healthcare access and professional training for Central Kansas. →
• Kubota has launched a $30 million project to build a 57,000-square-foot construction equipment test center at Great Plains Manufacturing in Salina. This investment will centralize the engineering and validation of machinery tailored specifically for North American market demands. →
• Construction of a new splash pad with modern water-treatment controls is on track to be completed by mid-April 2026, ahead of the seasonal opening. →
• The commission recommended rezoning the current Fire Station No. 4 site to public-use, allowing the city to repurpose it as a maintenance facility once the station moves to its new location. →
• Hutchinson Police arrested Nathan Lara on multiple charges including three counts of rape and three counts of aggravated indecent liberties involving children under 14. The charges stem from alleged incidents that occurred in Saline County between 2020 and 2022. →
• The first court appearance for two Salina Animal Shelter leaders facing potential animal cruelty charges was postponed Friday due to a paperwork delay. Monique Hawley and Andrea Murphy are under investigation for illegal euthanasia practices, including performing heart-stick injections on animals without proper sedation. →
• Four Salina area seniors have earned full-ride Rudd Scholarships to attend Kansas universities this fall as part of a 50-student statewide cohort. The comprehensive award covers all tuition and living expenses while providing recipients with professional mentorship and networking opportunities. →
• The Derby Panthers swept the South South Cougars in a doubleheader, securing a 5-3 extra-inning victory followed by an 11-0 shutout. The losses extend South's skid to six straight games as they fall to an even 6-6 record on the season. →
• Kansas Wesleyan erupted for 16 runs across three innings to crush Sterling 19-9, powered by a Zac Goldenberg grand slam and two home runs from Chris Finocchario. The run-rule victory preceded the suspension of the final game of the series. →
• Kansas Wesleyan overcame a mid-game deficit with 13 unanswered runs to crush Sterling 17-6 following a fifth-inning rain delay. Chase Aurand’s go-ahead grand slam ignited the massive comeback, leading the Coyotes to a dominant series-opening victory. →
• Expect a mostly sunny and warm day with a high near 89, though keep an eye on those south winds gusting up to 35 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• The Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes on 17 of 24 bills before adjourning Friday, including measures on immigration enforcement, abortion provider liability, and legislative oversight of agency rulemaking. →

• A Kansas property tax relief bill died Friday after Republican House leaders declined to attempt an override of Gov. Laura Kelly's veto, letting the deadline expire without a vote. →

• An effort to expand Kansas' private-school scholarship program is dead for the year after Republican legislative leaders opted not to challenge Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of House Bill 2468. →

• Unauthorized immigrants in Kansas will not face a sweeping ban on state and local public benefits after Republican lawmakers walked away from Senate Bill 254, allowing the Senate to adjourn April 10 without attempting to override Gov. Laura Kelly's veto. →

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its first Class VI underground injection permit in Kansas, authorizing PureField Carbon Capture to store carbon dioxide deep underground near Russell. →

🇺🇸 US

• President Trump announced a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after overnight negotiations with Iran collapsed, threatening a two-week ceasefire and sending oil prices above $100 a barrel. →

• Trump's Hormuz blockade targets China's oil supply as Beijing imports 1.38 million barrels per day from Iran and depends on the strait for 45% of its oil imports ahead of May summit talks. →

• The expiration of federal pandemic relief funding is forcing municipalities nationwide toward sharp service cuts or steep tax increases as healthcare costs surge and state aid declines. →

• NASA's Artemis II crew splashed down off California after completing a historic lunar flyby that carried humans farther from Earth than any previous spaceflight. →

• The AI boom is exhausting global computing capacity, triggering service outages, product cancellations and GPU rental price increases of 48% in two months. →

Weather

APRIL 13 1970: APOLLO 13 OXYGEN TANK EXPLODES

An oxygen tank on the Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded about 200,000 miles from Earth, crippling the mission and forcing NASA to abort its planned lunar landing. Astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise instead focused on survival as mission control devised emergency procedures that helped them safely return to Earth four days later.

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