Top 5 Kansas news stories
May 6 2026
Kelly Declares Drought in All 105 Kansas Counties
Pastor Hamilton Raises $1 Million in Senate Launch
Empire Electric Seeks 40% Rate Hike in Kansas
Kansas Special Session Unlikely Before 2026 Election
Sunflower Summer Returns July 9 With Reduced Budget
Kelly Declares Drought in All 105 Kansas Counties
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly signed a proclamation April 30 placing all 105 Kansas counties under drought declarations, with seven counties in emergency status, 47 in warning, and 51 in watch. Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office, recommended the action as extreme drought expanded into northwest and far southwest Kansas and severe drought spread across central regions. Above-normal temperatures combined with limited rainfall have accelerated soil moisture loss, raising the risk of worsening conditions heading into summer. McPherson County is among those in warning status, while emergency-stage counties include Cheyenne, Decatur, Morton, Norton, Phillips, Rawlins and Stevens. Kelly said eastern Kansas has seen rainfall but western regions continue to face persistent precipitation deficits, and emergency-stage counties become eligible for water from certain state fishing lakes and federal reservoirs.
KSNT
Pastor Hamilton Raises $1 Million in Senate Launch
LEAWOOD, Kan. — Adam Hamilton, pastor of Resurrection Methodist Church, raised $1.01 million from 6,700 individuals in the first four days of his campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, his campaign said Monday. Hamilton entered the race April 30, joining a primary field of nine candidates seeking to challenge Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who is completing his first term. The campaign said the four-day total exceeded the combined first-quarter fundraising of Marshall and the eight other declared Democrats. Seventy percent of the donations came from inside Kansas, and 20% of out-of-state contributions came from Missouri residents. Hamilton, who has no prior political experience, has described himself as an "independent-minded Democrat dedicated to leading from the center" and said he will pause preaching duties during the campaign. The filing deadline for the Aug. 4 primary ballot is June 1.
Kansas Reflector
Empire Electric Seeks 40% Rate Hike in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Empire District Electric Co. has requested a $15.8 million rate increase from the Kansas Corporation Commission that would raise the average residential bill by about 40% over three years. The utility, which serves more than 8,400 residential and nearly 1,350 commercial and industrial customers in Cherokee County, filed the rate case in December and tied the request to investments in three wind projects, replacement of aging infrastructure and modernization of customer service technology. Under the proposal, the average monthly residential bill would rise from $135.38 to $189.83 by year three, with increases of $11.88 in the first year and $21.28 in each of the next two. The company said it earned a 1.03% return on Kansas electric operations in its most recent year-end report and described current rates as not "just and reasonable." Empire's last base rate increase was in 2012, and a 2021 case resulted in a $637,000 reduction. The KCC will hold a public hearing May 12 at Columbus High School in Columbus, with written comments accepted through June 5.
Kansas Reflector
Kansas Special Session Unlikely Before 2026 Election
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers appear unlikely to return to Topeka before this year's elections for a special session on property tax relief or congressional redistricting, despite calls from a few Republicans. The push follows the Legislature's failure to deliver property tax relief — a key 2024 campaign promise — and a decision by Republican leaders not to pursue mid-decade redistricting. Republican gubernatorial candidate Philip Sarnecki has been the most vocal advocate, posting on social media April 29 that the Legislature should immediately address both issues. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will not call a special session, leaving the decision to Republican legislative leaders. Senate President Ty Masterson believes he can secure the votes, but House Speaker Dan Hawkins is skeptical, particularly on redistricting.
CJ Online
Sunflower Summer Returns July 9 With Reduced Budget
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Sunflower Summer program returns July 9 through Aug. 2, offering free admission to Kansas attractions for school-age children and one adult guardian per visit. Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced the 2026 season, which is open to Kansas residents from pre-K through 12th grade, including public, private and homeschooled students. The Kansas Legislature appropriated $2.75 million for the program this year, down from $3 million in the previous cycle and a fraction of the federally funded budgets that supported longer runs in earlier years. Last summer, the program drew 154,000 Kansas families to more than 220 attractions, with the state reimbursing each venue up to $15 per ticket. Tickets are accessible only through the Sunflower Summer mobile app, and the full list of participating attractions will be announced in June.
KWCH · KSNT
Sources
Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:
citizen journal offers three flagship products: a daily national news summary, a daily Kansas news summary, and local news and school board summaries from 20 cities across Kansas. Each issue contains 5 paragraph-length stories that are made to be read in 5 minutes. Use the links in the header to navigate to national, kansas, and local coverage. Subscribe to each, some, or all to get an email when new issues are published for FREE!
Brought to you by (click me!)
