Schmidt Pushes Social Media Limits for Kansans Under 16

Kansas Democrats for Governor Clash Over Data Centers

Energy Department Revives KU Low-Fertilizer Corn Research

U.S. Marshals Arrest Wichita Murder Suspect in Topeka

Fitzgerald Wins National Honor as Peterson Goes No. 2

Schmidt Pushes Social Media Limits for Kansans Under 16

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, a Republican running for governor, unveiled a proposal June 25 that would bar social media platforms from knowingly letting Kansans under 16 create or keep accounts without parental consent. The plan would also require platforms to adopt privacy-protecting age verification. Schmidt, a pharmacist, said the obligation would fall on the companies rather than on parents or schools. The proposal would not restrict adults' access to lawful platforms.

WIBW

Kansas Democrats for Governor Clash Over Data Centers

TOPEKA, Kan. — The three Democratic candidates for Kansas governor laid out diverging platforms in coverage published June 25, clashing most sharply over data centers. Sen. Cindy Holscher called for a statewide suspension of data-center construction, citing concerns about water and electricity costs. Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog opposed a halt and pitched his "THRIVE Kansas" rural health and economic-development plan. Sen. Ethan Corson, who has the endorsement of term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly and is backing a nearly $1 million television campaign, emphasized stronger public schools, lower middle-class taxes and business recruitment.

Kansas Reflector

Energy Department Revives KU Low-Fertilizer Corn Research

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Trump administration has unfrozen federal funding for research, including work at the University of Kansas, aimed at breeding corn that grows with far less fertilizer, the Kansas News Service reported the week of June 25. The U.S. Department of Energy backs the effort because much American corn is grown for ethanol and other biofuels, the country relies heavily on imported fertilizer, and the nitrous oxide released by chemical fertilizer is a potent greenhouse gas the agency wants to cut roughly in half. The project had been paused when President Trump took office in 2025 and was restarted as the administration emphasized reducing dependence on foreign fertilizer. KU plant geneticist Maggie Wagner, who is helping identify corn cultivars that perform well with less fertilizer, said new varieties that remove that need could deliver farmers a major improvement to their bottom line along with environmental benefits. Fertilizer is among the largest costs farmers face, so lower-fertilizer varieties could meaningfully boost profitability across the Corn Belt.

Kansas News Service · KCUR

U.S. Marshals Arrest Wichita Murder Suspect in Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. — The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Latron Wesley-Osayande, 28, on June 25 in the 6200 block of SW 26th Court in Topeka. The arrest stemmed from a first-degree murder warrant issued April 20. Wesley-Osayande is accused of fatally shooting 37-year-old William Johnson on April 11 in the 6300 block of West Kellogg in Wichita. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Shawnee County Jail on a $1 million bond.

KWCH

Fitzgerald Wins National Honor as Peterson Goes No. 2

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas notched two milestones in late June, as baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald was named Baseball America's national College Coach of the Year on June 24 and guard Darryn Peterson went No. 2 overall to the Utah Jazz in the NBA Draft on June 23. Fitzgerald is the first KU coach to win the baseball honor and the first Big 12 coach to claim it since 2018, after leading the Jayhawks to the regular-season and conference tournament titles and the program's first home NCAA regional and super regional in Lawrence. Peterson, who averaged 20.2 points per game in his lone college season, is the highest KU pick in the NBA Draft since Andrew Wiggins went first overall in 2014. Together the achievements cap a strong stretch for a school best known nationally for its basketball tradition.

KU Athletics · Baseball America · NBA.com

Sources

1. WIBW
2. Kansas Reflector
3. Kansas Public Radio / KU Biological Survey / KCUR
4. KWCH
5. KU Athletics / Baseball America / KU Athletics / NBA.com

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