Top 5 Kansas news stories
May 4 2026
Kansas April Tax Revenues Beat Estimate as Corporate Receipts Slump
Wichita Spangles Closes North Broadway Location After 42 Years
Kansas Court Chiefs Honor Eisenhower's Law Day Vision
Trego County Deputy Arrested in Inmate Murder Conspiracy
Wichita's I-135 Kellogg Exit Voted Kansas' Most Stressful
Kansas April Tax Revenues Beat Estimate as Corporate Receipts Slump
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas collected $1.4 billion in taxes in April, beating the consensus estimate by $31.6 million, or 2.3%, according to a Kansas Department of Revenue release. Total receipts were up 4% from April 2025, driven largely by individual income tax collections of $803.5 million — $31.7 million above estimate and 17.3% higher year-over-year. Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts came in at $302.9 million, $2 million above estimate and up 2.2% from April 2025. Corporate income tax collections continued a downward trend, falling to $237.4 million, missing the estimate by $3 million and dropping 25% from April 2025. "Total April tax collections returned as projected, though this month's report indicates the continued softening of corporate income tax collections, significantly missing the mark," Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement. The Democratic governor said the state must "remain vigilant" to ensure a solid fiscal foundation in the years ahead.
Greg Loving
Wichita Spangles Closes North Broadway Location After 42 Years
WICHITA, Kan. — Spangles has closed its restaurant at 850 N. Broadway after 42 years of operation, citing repeated break-ins and safety concerns for staff, said Rene Steven, the local chain's director of operations. Signs were removed from the building this week, and the property is now surrounded by fencing, marking the latest restaurant departure from the North Broadway corridor between Murdock and 13th Street. The location had operated only its drive-through for the past year, and during a recent break-in, someone forced entry through the drive-through window after hours, leaving blood throughout the building from broken glass. The closure follows a string of recent fast-food departures from the area, including the McDonald's at 1050 N. Broadway and the Popeyes at 1211 N. Broadway in late 2023, with La Chinita preparing to relocate from 1051 N. Broadway to 2615 W. 13th St. The North Broadway store carried historical significance for the chain, which began in 1978 as Coney Island and adopted the Spangles name in 1984 after a customer naming contest at what was then the newest of six local restaurants.
Wichita Eagle
Kansas Court Chiefs Honor Eisenhower's Law Day Vision
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen and Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sarah Warner marked Law Day on Friday with a ceremony at the Kansas Judicial Center, honoring President Dwight Eisenhower's 1958 designation of May 1 as a national observance of the rule of law. Rosen praised the Abilene-born president and World War II general for insisting that constitutional rights apply to all and that no person operates above the reach of legal authority. Rosen signed an administrative order embracing the imperative that Americans use the law to resolve disputes and exercise rights with integrity, excellence and fairness. Warner, who began a four-year term as chief judge in January, traveled to Johnson County the same morning to reaffirm her annual oath to bear allegiance to state and federal constitutions and to discharge judicial duties impartially. Congress formally established the national Law Day observance in 1961, three years after Eisenhower's original proclamation.
Kansas Reflector
Trego County Deputy Arrested in Inmate Murder Conspiracy
WAKEENEY, Kan. — A Trego County detention deputy was arrested Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, the Trego County Attorney's Office announced. A probable cause affidavit alleges that Deputy Jerry Jervah Jr. conspired with inmates at the Trego County Law Enforcement Center to murder an inmate held in a separate facility on pending charges. County Attorney Abraham Pfannenstiel said Jervah is no longer employed by the county and was transferred to Sherman County to await a bond hearing, with no formal charges filed at this time. "There is no room in our law enforcement community for actions that solicit or incite violence of any kind," Pfannenstiel said in a statement. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Trego County Sheriff's Office with the ongoing investigation.
KWCH
Wichita's I-135 Kellogg Exit Voted Kansas' Most Stressful
WICHITA, Kan. — Exit 5B off northbound Interstate 135 onto Kellogg has been voted the most stressful highway offramp in Kansas in a recent driver survey. The poll gathered responses from 3,011 Kansas drivers and asked them to identify the most stressful offramps in the state. Drivers singled out the I-135 ramp to Kellogg in Wichita as the worst statewide. Offramps in Topeka and Overland Park ranked as the next most stressful in the survey results.
Wichita Eagle
Sources
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