NO NEWSLETTER TOMORROW

Emporia Sets Strict Data Center Rules, Delays Final Vote

Kansas Wheat Harvest Nears Two-Thirds Done, Yields Lag

Kansas Opens Early Childhood Office, Consolidating 20 Programs

Drought Grips 38% of Kansas, Stressing Crops

Lawrence Lands on CNN's 10 Best Towns List

Emporia Sets Strict Data Center Rules, Delays Final Vote

EMPORIA, Kan. — The city commission is nearing a final decision on rules governing the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus, a gigawatt-scale data center that drew substantial public opposition after the planning commission recommended zoning for the project. Responding to that opposition, city officials clarified that the pending Digital Infrastructure Overlay would not grant developers a by-right use of the land, instead requiring a stringent development agreement that lets the city regulate noise, emissions and utility usage, and explicitly prohibiting cryptocurrency mining. Even with the overlay adopted, construction could not begin immediately: parcels would carry an industrial flex zoning designation, meaning developers must still submit detailed site plans and clear another round of public hearings. Companion water and wastewater policies, written to protect existing ratepayers from the infrastructure costs of large-scale industrial development, would require any user projected to draw more than 500,000 gallons per day to sign a specialized service agreement and pay for necessary engineering and utility upgrades, ensuring "growth pays for growth," with an enforcement clause allowing the city to shut off water and sewer service entirely for violations. To prepare for those decisions, the commission voted unanimously to move its July 15 regular meeting to July 22 so all five commissioners and relevant staff can attend a Kansas Municipal Utilities training class in Topeka devoted to data center development and municipal management. Final adoption votes on the overlay and the utility policies are set for the rescheduled July 22 meeting, which will determine how much control Emporia retains over the project and who pays for the infrastructure it demands.

Emporia City Commission Summary

Week of July 2, 2026

citizen journalCronkite

Kansas Wheat Harvest Nears Two-Thirds Done, Yields Lag

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas Wheat's Day 10 harvest report, released July 1, described a crop battered by drought, freeze damage and wheat streak mosaic virus, with producers reporting generally below-average yields and highly variable test weights ranging from the low 50s to the low 60s pounds per bushel. The report did not cite an official statewide progress figure, but the USDA's most recent crop progress report, for the week ending June 28, put the Kansas harvest at 58% complete, well ahead of 18% last year and the 26% five-year average. Field reports suggest further gains since then, with an elevator in Jewell County reporting area harvest 85% finished and a western Kansas farmer estimating his cutting is two-thirds to three-quarters done. The 2026 Wheat Quality Council tour projected a statewide average near 38.9 bushels per acre, well under the roughly 51 bushels per acre and nearly 347 million bushels Kansas produced in 2025. Protein levels were generally reported above 11%, with one western Kansas load testing at 15.4%.

High Plains Journal · USDA NASS

Kansas Opens Early Childhood Office, Consolidating 20 Programs

TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly and state leaders cut the ribbon July 1 on the new Kansas Office of Early Childhood at the Docking State Office Building. The office consolidates roughly 20 programs previously scattered across multiple state agencies, including child care licensing, child care financial assistance, home-visiting programs and the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund, into a single coordinated system for families and providers. Kelly appointed Christi Smith, a two-decade veteran of the state's early-childhood and family-service systems, as the office's first director. The consolidation fulfills a goal Kelly first campaigned on in 2018 and was created by legislation directing the state to stand up the office by July 1, 2026. Supporters say a one-stop system will make it easier for parents to find and afford child care, a persistent bottleneck for the workforce in rural counties where providers are scarce. As a permanent state institution, the office will outlast Kelly, who is term-limited and leaves office in January 2027.

KSN · WIBW · KSNT

Drought Grips 38% of Kansas, Stressing Crops

TOPEKA, Kan. — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor readings show roughly 38% of Kansas in active drought, including about 17% in severe drought and 1.4% in extreme drought. Short soil moisture continues to stress wheat and emerging row crops across affected areas. Late-June rains arrived too late to lift this year's wheat yields but helped stabilize some drought-stressed fields. The monitor is refreshed every Thursday morning, with the newest readings posted July 2.

Drought.gov

Lawrence Lands on CNN's 10 Best Towns List

LAWRENCE, Kan. — CNN on July 1 named Lawrence No. 9 on its list of America's best towns to visit in 2026, the only Kansas community to make the cut. Lawrence joined nine other picks led by top-ranked Sarasota, Fla., along with Roanoke, Va.; Iowa City, Iowa; Juneau, Alaska; Burlington, Vt.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Bethlehem, Pa.; Greenville, S.C.; and New Haven, Conn. CNN highlighted the Massachusetts Street commercial district, craft breweries, independent bookstores, the arts scene and the city's rebellious history, noting Lawrence was burned during the Civil War era, including William Quantrill's 1863 raid, and rebuilt each time. Editors said they weighed hundreds of destinations on attractions, food and drink, arts and culture, local identity, accessibility and overall visitor experience. Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas, leans on tourism and its downtown small businesses as economic drivers.

CNN · Lawrence Journal-World

Sources

1. Citizen Journal / Citizen Journal
2. High Plains Journal / Sabetha Herald
3. KSN / WIBW / KSNT
4. Drought.gov
5. CNN / Lawrence Journal-World

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!)