Marshall, Hamilton Court Wichita-Area Voters

Hays Seeks Guardrails for Industrial Water Use

Weather, Exports Squeeze Kansas Wheat Outlook

Transgender Men Test Kansas Restroom Law

Deere Says Farm Equipment Slump Has Hit Bottom

Marshall, Hamilton Court Wichita-Area Voters

WICHITA, Kan. — Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Adam Hamilton and Republican incumbent Roger Marshall made separate campaign stops in the Wichita area this week. Hamilton visited Wichita Heights High School and asked educators how the federal government could help schools and where it might be creating obstacles. Marshall toured senior living centers in Goddard as part of what he described as a 100-stop trip across Kansas. Voters raised concerns about special education funding, the cost of living and struggling farmers, while both candidates acknowledged dissatisfaction with the economy. Marshall said it was not safe to hold a town hall now, and Hamilton argued that Marshall has acted as a spokesperson for President Donald Trump instead of a champion for Kansans. The candidates will meet in the Nov. 3 general election.

KWCH

Hays Seeks Guardrails for Industrial Water Use

HAYS, Kan. — Hays city commissioners reached consensus at an Aug. 20 work session to direct staff to draft a resolution setting broad guidelines for future industrial water use, but they took no formal action. Commissioner David Vilaysing requested a written policy intended to prevent a future commission from allowing a large water user to strain the city's R9 supply. Staff said Hays is not currently attracting heavy water users, and commissioners favored guidelines over a restrictive ordinance that could deter economic development. Hays and Russell pursued the R9 Ranch wellfield and pipeline project in Edwards County over several decades to secure a long-term municipal supply. Written guidelines would give future commissions a framework for weighing water demand against industrial recruitment before a large user applies. No resolution has been drafted or approved, and Vilaysing's exact characterization of large water users could not be independently verified.

Hays City Commission Summary

Week of August 21, 2026

citizen journalGreg Loving

Weather, Exports Squeeze Kansas Wheat Outlook

TOPEKA, Kan. — Federal forecasters' fall outlook leans warmer than average across Kansas for September through November and wetter than average in the western half of the state, with El Niño expected to shape the pattern. The outlook arrives as USDA rated 60% of Kansas topsoil short or very short of moisture for the week ending Aug. 16 and farmers prepare to plant the 2027 winter wheat crop. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported improvement after rain in northern Kansas but worsening dry conditions in southern counties, while the previous week's map placed about 32% of the state in moderate drought or worse and roughly 30% as abnormally dry. Those conditions could affect planting and crop decisions as Kansas comes off a 2026 wheat harvest projected at 196 million bushels, more than 43% below 2025. Separately, USDA's weekly report showed 14.5 million bushels in net wheat sales, 19.3 million bushels in shipments and 289 million bushels in cumulative 2026-27 commitments, down 32% from a year earlier. Together, soil moisture, fall temperatures and export demand will help determine the outlook for Kansas wheat growers, elevators and related rural businesses.

KSN · FOX4 · NewsNation · The Weather Channel · Ad Astra Radio · USDA · Coyote Gulch · U.S. Drought Monitor · Total Farm Marketing · USDA NASS

Transgender Men Test Kansas Restroom Law

TOPEKA, Kan. — Transgender men calling themselves the SB 244 Compliance Crew have visited public buildings across Kansas and used women's restrooms as a protest carried out by following the state's new restroom law. Senate Bill 244 requires people in publicly owned buildings to use multi-occupancy restrooms and locker rooms matching the sex recorded at birth, with potential civil and criminal consequences. Because the group's members were recorded female at birth and now live and present as men, the law directs them to women's facilities at sites including an Emporia library and public pools or water parks in Garden City, Dodge City and Great Bend. The group says the visits show that a law promoted as keeping men out of women's spaces can require some men to enter them, while supporters maintain that the measure protects privacy and safety. Group members said a manager at one water park screamed and moved nearby children out of the room, an account that was not independently confirmed in the supplied material. No court has struck down the law, and the tour has placed questions about practical enforcement at the center of the debate.

Kansas News Service · ACLU of Kansas

Deere Says Farm Equipment Slump Has Hit Bottom

MOLINE, Ill. — Deere & Co. said the farm equipment slump has reached its low point and demand could begin to steady in 2027. The company pointed to early orders and fewer used machines for sale as signs of improvement. Deere earned $1.379 billion in its third quarter, up from $1.289 billion a year earlier, as total sales rose 5% to $12.608 billion. Sales of construction and forestry equipment climbed 18%, while sales of large farm machinery such as tractors and combines fell because the company shipped fewer machines. Deere now expects to earn between $4.75 billion and $5 billion for the full year, raising the bottom of its previous estimate by $250 million.

Farm Equipment · Deere & Company · Yahoo Finance

Sources

1. KWCH
2. City of Hays Commission
3. KSN / FOX4 / NewsNation / The Weather Channel / Ad Astra Radio / USDA / Coyote Gulch / U.S. Drought Monitor / Total Farm Marketing / USDA NASS
4. KCUR / KMUW / The Lawrence Times / KAKE / ACLU of Kansas
5. Farm Equipment / Deere & Company / Yahoo Finance

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