Top 5 Kansas news stories
June 9 2026
Wichita Officials Weigh $100 Million in Boeing Tax Breaks
KDOT Closes Downtown Topeka I-70 Through December
Leawood Man Charged in Federal ISIS Support Plot
State Board Weighs Rollout of Classroom Phone Ban
Oklahoma Sweeps Kansas to End Jayhawks' Season
Wichita Officials Weigh $100 Million in Boeing Tax Breaks
WICHITA, Kan. — Local officials are poised to approve roughly $100 million in corporate property tax breaks this week, with most of the abatements going to Boeing Wichita, the metropolitan area's largest employer and the former Spirit AeroSystems. If approved, the company would pay nothing in Sedgwick County property taxes for the next 10 years, amounting to more than $50 million in forgone county revenue. Boeing would also receive breaks worth more than $40 million over a decade on property taxes that would otherwise fund Derby Public Schools. The Wichita City Council votes Tuesday and the Sedgwick County Commission follows Wednesday. Under state law, the Derby school board has no say in the exemptions, but the city does because it is issuing the bonds. Mayor Lily Wu has pointed to the city's recent momentum, saying Wichita is attracting investment, jobs and growth that officials should be careful not to jeopardize.
Wichita Eagle
KDOT Closes Downtown Topeka I-70 Through December
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Transportation closed all lanes of Interstate 70 between S.W. Topeka Boulevard and S.E. 8th Avenue on Monday, June 8, as part of the $239 million Polk-Quincy Viaduct project. Through traffic is being diverted to Interstate 470, while downtown access remains open via ramps at MacVicar, Topeka Boulevard, 8th Avenue and 10th Avenue. Demolition of the existing viaduct is scheduled to begin Tuesday, June 9. The closure is expected to remain in place through December.
WIBW
Leawood Man Charged in Federal ISIS Support Plot
LEAWOOD, Kan. — Federal prosecutors have unsealed a complaint in the District of Kansas charging Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Two California men, Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, face the same charge. According to the Justice Department, the three collectively sent more than $2,000 to a person they believed was an ISIS member and communicated over Discord and other platforms between February 2025 and June 2026 about plots that included drone strikes on U.S. troops. Each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
KSHB
State Board Weighs Rollout of Classroom Phone Ban
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas State Board of Education held a special meeting from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, June 8, to discuss implementation of a new state law barring students from using cell phones and personal electronic devices during the school day. The legislation, which passed earlier this year, takes effect Sept. 1. It requires individual school districts to draft their own compliance plans. Board member Melanie Haas said the board had missed its chance to lead on the issue, telling colleagues that the Legislature acted on cellphones because the board did not.
KSN
Oklahoma Sweeps Kansas to End Jayhawks' Season
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Oklahoma Sooners defeated Kansas 13-2 at Hoglund Ballpark on Monday, June 8, sweeping the Jayhawks out of the NCAA postseason. The result completed a weather-suspended Super Regional Game 2. Play resumed at noon Monday after a Sunday night rain delay had halted the game with Kansas trailing 8-1 in the third inning. The win sends Oklahoma to the Men's College World Series in Omaha and ends the Jayhawks' season.
WIBW
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