Salina

• The Friends of the River Foundation has launched the public "Let it Flow" campaign to fund Salina’s $70 million river renewal project, which has already secured $8.1 million in private donations. This massive revitalization effort will transform 6.8 miles of riverway into a recreational corridor featuring new trails and public plazas by 2031. →
• Salina officials are not pursuing privatization for the city-run animal shelter, choosing instead to address recent state inspection failures through professional veterinarian oversight. The facility remains under municipal control as the city awaits the results of an upcoming independent operational assessment. →
• Salina USD 305 and NEA-Salina have launched contract negotiations for the 2026-2027 school year, with initial proposals addressing teacher leave, working conditions, and administrative feedback. Both sides are scheduled to meet again on April 16 to continue discussions at Central High School. →
• Kansas Wesleyan University raised a school-record $4.16 million for student scholarships at its third annual Scholarship Gala. This historic total marks the largest fundraising event in the institution's history, surpassing the previous year’s record by nearly $1.5 million. →
• The city authorized approximately $75,000 for two public art installations at the new fire station, coming in $25,000 under the original $100,000 budget. →
• Three 14-year-old girls face aggravated arson charges after allegedly setting a mattress on fire and attempting to spark an electrical blaze at St. Francis Ministries. Staff extinguished the flames before Saline County deputies arrested the juveniles on Friday. →
• The Southeast of Saline softball team demolished Sacred Heart in a 30-0 doubleheader sweep, ending both games early via run-rule. Dominant pitching and two inside-the-park home runs propelled the Lady Trojans to a 7-1 season record. →
• Southeast of Saline baseball swept Sacred Heart on Tuesday with a 13-2 blowout followed by a hard-fought 7-5 victory. The doubleheader sweep keeps the Trojans undefeated in league play as they improve to an 8-2 overall record. →
• Salina Fieldhouse successfully hosted record numbers of championship events and multi-team tournaments while operating with two vacant staff positions. →
• It’s going to be a beautiful sunny day in Salina with a high near 81, though keep an eye out for some breezy west winds gusting up to 24 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• The Kansas Legislature passed House Bill 2043 early Saturday, April 11, capping annual spending increases by local governments at 3% or the inflation rate, whichever is lower. With lawmakers not reconvening until Jan. 11, 2027, they cannot override a potential veto by Gov. Laura Kelly. →

• The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday named Jake Steel as the state's next commissioner of education, with seven of 10 board members voting in favor and Steel assuming the role June 1. →

• The Kansas City Council's Finance Committee on Tuesday approved a plan to contribute up to $600 million in city funding toward a new downtown Royals stadium at Washington Square Park. →

• The Kansas Legislature on April 9 overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes on five bills that collectively shift power away from executive-branch agencies, local governments and outside legal counsel and toward the statehouse. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly on April 9 signed bipartisan legislation that permanently updates eligibility thresholds for the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, adjusting the household income threshold to 250% of the current federal poverty level. →

🇺🇸 US

• U.S. Central Command said it had completely stopped all commercial trade to and from Iranian ports less than 36 hours after implementing a naval blockade, while the Pentagon sends thousands of additional troops to the region as a fragile ceasefire set to expire April 22 holds. →

• Maine legislators have passed the first statewide data center construction ban in the United States, with the bill now heading to the governor's desk as public opinion turns sharply against the facilities. →

• Voters in South Hadley, Massachusetts, decisively rejected a steep property tax hike by a 65 percent to 34 percent margin in a preview of financial pressures expected to hit municipalities nationwide. →

• The average federal tax refund issued to early filers this year climbed more than 10 percent over last year, reaching $3,462, largely because of the Republican tax law that increased the standard deduction and created new deductions for tip income, overtime pay and certain car loan interest. →

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his country's forces captured a Russian position using only unmanned ground robotic systems and aerial drones, with no infantry involvement and no Ukrainian casualties — a first in the war. →

Weather

APRIL 16, 1972: APOLLO 16 DEPARTS FOR MOON

Apollo 16 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on a 238,000-mile journey, the fifth U.S. mission to land astronauts on the lunar surface. Command module pilot Thomas K. Mattingly stayed in orbit while John W. Young and Charles M. Duke later spent nearly three days exploring the moon and collecting over 200 pounds of rock samples.

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