The Little Apple Brief
Local, state, and US news for busy people - Feb 13, 2026 edition
Manhattan
- 83% of surveyed residents ranked street maintenance as their top priority over indoor aquatics, prompting the city to align park funding requests with the expiration of the street tax in 2026. →
- City data indicates that 90% of residents are unwilling to pay more than $160 a month for family pool access, a rate that would result in a substantial operating deficit for a modern facility. →
- A survey found that 81% of Manhattan residents oppose a property tax hike for a new indoor aquatic center, leading staff to recommend reinvesting in existing parks instead. →
- Following the pause on the aquatic center, City Park will be redesigned to include an in-ground skate park and pickleball courts while centralizing festival grounds. →
- City staff are planning for a 2027 renewal of the Quality of Life sales tax to fund renovations at the Sunset Zoo and Flint Hills Discovery Center. →
- Planners intend to complete the airport's taxiway reconstruction in a single season beginning March 2027 to ensure the runway is fully operational for the university's football season. →
- The airport reached a new record for passenger numbers, which board members attributed to regional growth and service collaboration with Envoy. →
- Expect a mild and partly cloudy day with a high of 64°F before temperatures drop sharply to 24°F tonight.
🌾Kansas
- Senate cellphone ban Kansas Senate passed bill 28-0 to mandate school cellphone bans starting 2026-27, but House committee stripped enforcement language to make it optional, setting up conference committee fight.
- School voucher expansion House passed HB 2468 70-49 on party lines to expand private school tuition tax credits; Republicans touted school choice while Democrats argued it diverts funds from underfunded public special education.
- Wichita sales tax opposition Sedgwick County GOP unanimously opposes Wichita's proposed 1% sales tax (projected $850M over 7 years) ahead of March 3 vote, citing lack of public input and rushed process.
- Right to repair narrowed House committee advanced "right to repair" bill but added major amendments exempting farm equipment and limiting manufacturer requirements to authorized repair shops rather than consumers, with 2027 effective date.
- Bathroom bill costs Local officials warn Kansas bathroom bill requiring use of birth-sex facilities could cost millions in enforcement and signage; Governor Kelly expected to veto despite veto-proof legislative majorities.
Greg Loving
🇺🇸 US
- DHS shutdown imminent: Senate Democrats blocked House funding bill (52-47), leaving Homeland Security unfunded as Congress leaves for recess—third partial shutdown in five months starts Saturday.
- National Guard exits sanctuary cities: All troops have withdrawn from Chicago, LA, and Portland, ending Trump administration deployments that sparked federal-city conflicts.
- Detroit automakers lose $50B on EVs: GM, Ford, and Stellantis write down massive EV investments as sales plunged 30% after federal tax credits expired in September.
- Chinese AI programmed for propaganda: Alibaba's Qwen3 models use hidden instructions to present China positively and avoid criticism—sophisticated bias beyond simple censorship.
- US smuggles Starlink into Iran: Trump administration covertly delivered 6,000 satellite internet terminals to Iranian dissidents after regime killed protesters; Pentagon simultaneously deploys largest carrier to Middle East.
Greg Loving
Weather
February 13 1633: Galileo arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy
Galileo’s 1633 trial for heresy, after he supported the Sun-centered Copernican system, shows how threatening empirical, observation-based science once was to established authority. His careful telescopic observations, willingness to challenge Aristotle, and insistence that nature—not doctrine—should arbitrate truth helped lay the groundwork for the scientific method of testing hypotheses against evidence.
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