Top 5 Kansas news stories
April 23 2026
Royals Unveil $1.9B Downtown Kansas City Ballpark Plan
Bomb Threats Evacuate Wichita, Hutchinson Schools
K-State Urges Wheat Growers to Scout for Rust
Great Bend High Revives Community Service Day
Hays Groups Work to Close Weather Radar Gap
Royals Unveil $1.9B Downtown Kansas City Ballpark Plan
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals on Wednesday unveiled plans for a $1.9 billion downtown ballpark, with $600 million from Kansas City taxpayers, an unspecified state contribution likely totaling hundreds of millions, and at least $800 million from the team. The stadium would anchor an 85-acre development at Crown Center, a shopping and dining district run by Hallmark Cards, with the combined ballpark-and-entertainment-district project potentially costing roughly $3 billion. Hallmark, headquartered at Crown Center, is partnering with the Royals on the real-estate venture. Royals chairman John Sherman said founder Ewing Kauffman wanted the team to benefit his hometown as much as possible and called the project an extension of the Hall family's legacy in Kansas City.
The Athletic
Bomb Threats Evacuate Wichita, Hutchinson Schools
WICHITA, Kan. — At least three Kansas schools were disrupted by bomb threats Wednesday, including Wichita's Southeast High School, Hutchinson's Central Christian School, and Buhler USD 313's Union Valley Elementary. Wichita police responded to Southeast High around 1:09 p.m. to assist with evacuation, and the all-clear was given by 1:45 p.m. In Hutchinson, Central Christian School cleared students and staff after receiving a threat late that morning, and the Hutchinson Police Department conducted a comprehensive campus sweep that found no device or evidence of a threat, Citizen Journal reported. Central Christian Superintendent John Walker said the school takes every threat seriously regardless of perceived credibility, and all relevant information has been turned over to Hutchinson police for a full investigation. Buhler USD 313 placed Union Valley Elementary on lockout after being notified of a bomb threat reported near the school, though a scheduled track meet at Buhler High School proceeded as normal. A similar incident was reported at Garden City High School on Tuesday.
KWCH · Citizen Journal
K-State Urges Wheat Growers to Scout for Rust
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State University plant pathologist Kelsey Andersen Onofre is urging Kansas wheat growers to scout fields for stripe, leaf, and stem rust as the crop breaks dormancy and the spring disease window opens. Stripe rust, identified by bright orange spores forming stripes along leaf veins, has been the most common wheat rust in Kansas in recent years, but low activity in Texas — where the disease typically originates before moving north — suggests lower pressure this season. Leaf rust, which prefers warmer temperatures and appears later in the growing season, has been more active in Texas and could pose a greater Kansas risk if April brings wetter weather. Andersen Onofre said fields with fall leaf-rust activity warrant priority scouting, and growers should consider fungicide applications when roughly 5% of a field shows infection, since unmanaged outbreaks can cause yield losses of up to 20%. Stem rust remains rare in Kansas and typically appears late in the season on susceptible varieties. Andersen Onofre said scouting and knowing variety ratings are the first line of defense against rust diseases.
High Plains Journal
Great Bend High Revives Community Service Day
GREAT BEND, Kan. — Great Bend High School revived a long-dormant service tradition Wednesday as 900 students and staff completed 36 community service projects across the city. Community Service Day, last held in 2019, is a student-led initiative organized by the National Honor Society to foster service and leadership while giving back to community members who support the school. NHS sponsor Luke Maneth said the event was about a culture of gratitude rather than manual labor, noting that the community supports students through scholarships, activities, and mentorships year-round. Maneth said seeing 900 students working together to improve Great Bend was inspiring.
KSN
Hays Groups Work to Close Weather Radar Gap
HAYS, Kan. — Local groups in Hays are working to fill a weather radar gap that leaves Ellis County with limited low-altitude storm data during Kansas' severe weather season. The nearest radar tower, 80 miles away in Dodge City, collects data roughly 6,000 feet above Hays because of the Earth's curvature, leaving storms near ground level difficult to track. The Hays Amateur Radio Group ECHO and nonprofit STEM Harvest are spearheading an effort to install a $350,000 radar near the Hays airport, with $50,000 raised so far and two of three grant applications secured. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran's office is assisting with the third grant application. Board member Kendall Krug said data from the radar would be freely available through a public website and Hays Post, unlike for-profit systems that charge subscription fees in the tens of thousands of dollars. ECHO member Andy Oldhand cited an August 2017 hailstorm that struck the area without warning as an example of the dangers posed by the current data gap.
KSN
Sources
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