Top 5 Kansas news stories
June 3 2026
Kansas Congressional Incumbents Draw 25 Primary Challengers
Senate Confirms Kuhlman as Kansas Federal Judge
Finney County Approves 400-MW Solar Project Near Holcomb
K-State Agronomist Warns of 20% Wheat Yield Loss
Kansas Regents to Vote on Three-Year Bachelor's Degrees
Kansas Congressional Incumbents Draw 25 Primary Challengers
TOPEKA, Kan. — Following the noon June 1 filing deadline, Kansas's four U.S. House incumbents and Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall will face a combined 25 challengers in the Aug. 4 primary. The incumbents are Republicans Tracey Mann (1st), Derek Schmidt (2nd) and Ron Estes (4th), plus Democrat Sharice Davids (3rd). Marshall drew 11 Democratic challengers, including Tallgrass Freight CEO Damon Anderson of Shawnee, former federal agriculture official Christy Davis of Cottonwood Falls and Stilwell Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, along with one Republican challenger, Pond Naramore of Lawrence. Federal campaign finance reports through March 31 show incumbents have out-raised challengers by hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
Kansas Reflector
Senate Confirms Kuhlman as Kansas Federal Judge
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed Jeffrey M. Kuhlman of Great Bend as U.S. District Judge for the District of Kansas on June 2 by a party-line vote of 52-46, filling the seat vacated by retired Judge Eric F. Melgren. Cloture was invoked earlier in the day at 1:02 p.m. by the same 52-46 margin, with Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) not voting. Kuhlman, nominated by President Trump on Feb. 18, is a partner at Watkins Calcara, a Kansas State University and Antonin Scalia Law School graduate, and a former clerk to Melgren — the judge he now succeeds. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall championed the nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee process.
U.S. Senate
Finney County Approves 400-MW Solar Project Near Holcomb
GARDEN CITY, Kan. — The Finney County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0, with one recusal, to approve special-use permits for Sherlock Solar LLC, a 400-megawatt commercial solar facility spanning roughly 6,150 acres south of Holcomb. Commissioners also approved a permit for Sherlock Energy Storage LLC, a 400-MW battery system on 54 adjacent acres. The projects are part of the Home Range Clean Power initiative and are positioned to potentially serve a future data center or advanced manufacturing user. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2027 after additional environmental, water and road-use agreements are finalized.
Cronkite
K-State Agronomist Warns of 20% Wheat Yield Loss
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State University agronomy professor Romulo Lollato said this week that Kansas wheat producers are seeing yield reductions of up to 20% as the 2026 harvest gets underway. He attributed the losses to spring drought, late freezes and disease pressure. Lollato identified central and southwest Kansas as the hardest-hit regions and warned that low test weights could lead grain elevators to reject loads. He noted that recent rains, while helpful for grain fill, have promoted weed growth that is complicating combine operations.
KWCH
Kansas Regents to Vote on Three-Year Bachelor's Degrees
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Board of Regents plans to vote in mid-June on a proposal letting the six state universities offer reduced-credit bachelor's degrees of as few as 90 credit hours instead of the traditional 120, following a task force that met from October through April. Regents' staff are working with Fort Hays State University on a survey of 3,200 Kansas businesses to gauge employer demand for graduates with abbreviated degrees, with results due in fall 2026. KU Chancellor Doug Girod warned that students completing a 90-credit degree would lose a year of federal financial aid eligibility and would not qualify for most master's programs. Board member Kathy Wolfe Moore raised concerns about how employers would distinguish the credentials.
Kansas Reflector
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