> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.citizenjournal.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Top 5 Kansas news stories - URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-280/ - Published: 2026-10-02T11:49:16.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T11:49:16.000Z - Description: October 2 2026 - Author: Greg Loving - Tags: Kansas, #summary # Masterson Disputes Ad Linking Him to Brownback Tax Cuts # Hamilton Rejects Marshall’s Demand to Pull Medical-Debt Ad # Olathe Closes Schools as Wichita Teachers Push Bond # Riley County Backs Data Center Moratorium Extension to Await 2027 State Guidance # Kansas Declares Disaster as Floodwaters Wash Out Roads --- # Masterson Disputes Ad Linking Him to Brownback Tax Cuts TOPEKA, Kan. — The Democratic Governors Association released a digital ad Thursday, Oct. 1, linking Republican gubernatorial nominee and Senate President Ty Masterson to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax cuts while supporting Democratic nominee Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park. The ad pairs an excerpt from Masterson’s 2017 Kansas Republican Assembly appearance — “The Brownback plan, which by the way, I wrote” — with a 2023 High Plains television remark that Brownback did not write the legislation but “just got blamed for it.” Masterson called the ad a “lie” and accused the association of deceptive editing, saying his earlier remarks concerned a separate proposal to lower tax rates as state revenues grew, Kansas Reflector reported. The 2012 law lowered individual income tax rates and exempted more than 300,000 business owners from state income tax on certain business income, but revenue fell short of projections. A bipartisan legislative coalition repealed most of the law in 2017 by overriding Brownback’s veto. The national Democratic group’s ad brings the tax cuts, their budget consequences and disputed authorship into the final month of campaigning before the Nov. 3 election. Kansas Reflector · Democratic Governors Association --- # Hamilton Rejects Marshall’s Demand to Pull Medical-Debt Ad TOPEKA, Kan. — Democratic U.S. Senate nominee the Rev. Adam Hamilton’s campaign refused to withdraw an ad about Republican Sen. Roger Marshall’s medical-debt collections and answered his cease-and-desist demand with its own letter, Kansas Reflector reported Thursday, Oct. 1\. Marshall’s lawyers called the ad defamatory in a Sept. 28 letter demanding its removal, a retraction and an apology within 24 hours. Elias Law Group attorney Kate Sawyer Keane, representing Hamilton, alleged that Marshall’s former Great Bend practice, Heartland Regional OBGYN, imposed excessive interest, sought arrest warrants for patients and applied their bond payments toward their debts. Keane said any lawsuit would prompt an immediate motion to strike and demanded that Marshall stop threatening litigation she described as frivolous. The ad features Meischa Zimmerman, who attributes her arrest to a missed $50 monthly payment on nearly $3,600 in debt carrying 18% interest, according to court records cited by Kansas Reflector; Marshall’s lawyers say she was arrested for failing to appear in court. The exchange keeps the former physician’s collection practices in dispute ahead of the candidates’ Oct. 21 televised debate and the Nov. 3 election. Kansas Reflector · The Hill --- # Olathe Closes Schools as Wichita Teachers Push Bond OLATHE, Kan. — The Olathe school board voted 7-0 Thursday, Oct. 1, to close five elementary schools and one middle school after the 2026-27 school year, affecting about 2,200 students. The vote followed weeks of debate, a parents’ petition and complaints about unanswered questions; administrators will begin redrawing attendance boundaries and holding family information sessions this month. Chief Financial Officer John Hutchison cited declining enrollment, rising costs and inadequate state special education funding, while district officials projected annual savings exceeding $12 million and linked elementary enrollment matching levels 25 years ago to lower birth rates and high home prices, bringing pressures familiar to rural Kansas into one of its largest districts in fast-growing Johnson County. In Wichita, United Teachers of Wichita held a Sept. 30 news conference outside Truesdell Middle School to support USD 259’s $615 million bond on the Nov. 3 ballot, displaying photos teachers said showed broken heating and cooling equipment, leaks, mold and bats and arguing that repeated temporary repairs cannot continue indefinitely. Truesdell, Curtis Middle School and College Hill Elementary are undergoing bat removal after the school board authorized up to $121,000 in August. District officials recommended the bond in May after an earlier proposal failed, and the vote will determine whether Kansas’ largest district can borrow money, repaid through local property taxes, to repair and replace aging buildings. KCTV5 · KSHB · Johnson County Post · Olathe Public Schools · KWCH · KMUW · KSN · KAKE --- # Riley County Backs Data Center Moratorium Extension to Await 2027 State Guidance MANHATTAN, Kan. — Riley County commissioners agreed in principle Oct. 1 to extend the county's moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems by six months to await possible state action during the 2027 legislative session. Planning Director Amanda Webb told commissioners the pause expires Nov. 12 and asked how they wanted to proceed; a commissioner suggested extending it through the legislative session, and the others agreed. Commissioners adopted the original pause in May but took no formal vote on the extension, which must return to the commission for adoption; if approved, it would keep affected development on hold until about mid-May 2027\. In Harvey County, where commissioners adopted a January moratorium on data centers and related activities in unincorporated areas through the end of 2028, a commissioner asked Sept. 29 whether the county has a policy on spreading sludge from data center cooling systems on cropland. The commissioner said the practice had been described as occurring in other counties and raised concern about "forever chemicals" reaching soil and groundwater. Planning, Zoning and Environmental Director Karen Rothe said she knew of no county policy and would check with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The discussion established no finding that such sludge contains those chemicals and named no data center, hauler or disposal site. [Riley County Commission SummaryWeek of October 2, 2026![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/cj-icon-1000-ce98fe73-2e88-4b89-bb90-2d14f0988882.png)citizen journalCronkite![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_9595-r301-e018a1fd-d1c2-4e94-a152-9748767f2bca.webp)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/riley-county-commission-summary-62/) [Harvey County CommissionWeek of October 1, 2026![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/cj-icon-1000-0da5e0db-eb20-46af-af76-f58692837b71.png)citizen journalGreg Loving![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_9937-r390-7f686aae-a0ec-4789-882a-5bc036dd5e35.webp)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/harvey-county-commission-27/) Riley County Commission · Harvey County Commission · KMAN · The Manhattan Mercury · Citizen Journal · KWCH --- # Kansas Declares Disaster as Floodwaters Wash Out Roads TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly issued a verbal statewide disaster emergency declaration Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, as Pacific Hurricane Polo’s remnants merged with an early fall storm system, and the National Weather Service issued its highest-level flood alert, a flash flood emergency, for Dodge City and Ford County on Thursday, Oct. 1, with radar estimating 3 to 10 inches of rain around the city and central and southern Ford County. The declaration authorizes state assistance to communities and could support a federal disaster aid request; the Kansas Division of Emergency Management partially staffed its Topeka operations center around the clock, positioned swift-water rescue teams statewide and coordinated with the National Guard, State Fire Marshal, Kansas Department of Transportation and Department of Wildlife and Parks. The weather service’s Goodland office reported 2 to 6.5 inches in Greeley and Wichita counties, including 4.5 inches at Tribune, with roads closed or washed out near Tribune and Leoti; southwest of Beloit, more than 5 inches preceded an early Thursday collapse of K Road, while the Solomon River reached 22.7 feet Thursday morning — 2.7 feet above minor flood stage — and inundated Chautauqua Park. KDOT flaggers directed one-lane traffic through high water on U.S. 283 south of Dodge City and U.S. 56 near McArtor Road west of town, while Syracuse reported flooded streets and buildings before water receded by 4 p.m. without rescues; KWCH reported flooded fields, stranded vehicles and water rescues elsewhere in Kansas. The flooding threatens lives, property and transportation even as rain replenishes soil moisture in western Kansas, where drought sharply reduced this year’s wheat crop, and delays wheat planting until fields dry. KSN · KWCH · WIBW · JC Post · National Weather Service · Hays Post --- ## Sources 1. [Kansas Reflector](https://kansasreflector.com/2026/10/01/democrats-ad-links-ty-masterson-to-sam-brownback-kansas-gop-nominee-claims-its-a-lie/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Democratic Governors Association](https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/watch-ty-masterson-admits-he-wrote-brownback-experiment/?ref=citizenjournal.us) 2. [Kansas Reflector](https://kansasreflector.com/2026/10/01/hamilton-asks-marshall-to-cease-and-desist-from-threats-of-frivolous-litigation-in-kansas-race/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Kansas Reflector](https://kansasreflector.com/2026/09/28/roger-marshall-alleges-defamation-in-new-ad-about-former-kansas-patient-arrested-while-in-debt/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6119443-marshall-cease-desist-hamilton-ad/?ref=citizenjournal.us) 3. [KCTV5](https://www.kctv5.com/2026/10/02/olathe-school-board-votes-7-0-close-six-schools/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KCTV5](https://www.kctv5.com/2026/10/02/olathe-school-board-votes-yes-close-6-schools-by-end-academic-year/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KSHB](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kansas/johnson-county/5-elementary-schools-1-middle-school-set-to-close-in-olathe-next-year?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Johnson County Post](https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/09/30/olathe-to-consider-school-closures-297368/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Olathe Public Schools](https://www.olatheschools.org/students-and-families/boundaries-and-school-consolidations?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/09/30/wichita-teachers-push-school-bond-approval-point-dangerous-conditions/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KMUW](https://www.kmuw.org/local-news/2026-09-30/wichita-middle-school-deals-with-bats-as-kdhe-warns-of-potential-rabies-exposures?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KSN](https://www.ksn.com/news/wichita-district-works-to-remove-bats-from-three-schools/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KMUW](https://www.kmuw.org/local-news/2026-05-04/usd-259-officials-recommend-615m-bond-referendum-for-november-election?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KAKE](https://www.kake.com/home/usd-259-bond-vote-wichitans-vote-no-in-final-official-results/article%5Faf047d6e-f3b7-11ef-bbe3-3b64b6eb36df.html?ref=citizenjournal.us) 4. [Riley County Commission](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nERAhD20CwM&ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Harvey County Commission](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b1g9dv2fu8&ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KMAN](https://1350kman.com/2026/05/end-date-set-for-riley-countys-data-center-moratorium/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [The Manhattan Mercury](https://themercury.com/news/riley-county-places-temporary-pause-on-data-centers/article%5F5b1e4a71-90d4-426b-876d-14dc851cdb7b.html?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Citizen Journal](https://www.citizenjournal.us/harvey-county-commission-27/) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/01/13/harvey-county-commission-places-moratorium-data-center-construction/?ref=citizenjournal.us) 5. [KSN](https://www.ksn.com/weather/weather-stories/gov-kelly-issues-disaster-proclamation-for-flooding-in-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/10/01/gov-kelly-issues-disaster-declaration-hurricane-polo-remnants-bring-flood-threat-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [WIBW](https://www.wibw.com/2026/10/01/gov-kelly-issues-disaster-declaration-hurricane-polo-remnants-bring-flood-threat-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [JC Post](https://jcpost.com/posts/001d8715-43d3-4658-8dc2-c03324c74557?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KSN](https://www.ksn.com/weather/weather-stories/road-collapses-in-kansas-amid-heavy-rain/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/10/01/mitchell-county-sheriffs-office-issues-safety-warning-after-road-washes-out-near-beloit/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [NWS via Defcon Level](https://www.defconlevel.com/alert/2026-10-01-nws-noaa-weather-flood-warning-issued-october-1-at-10-59am-mdt-until-october-1-at-3-45pm-mdt-by-nws-goodland-ks?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [NWS via Defcon Level](https://www.defconlevel.com/alert/2026-10-01-nws-noaa-weather-flood-warning-issued-october-1-at-4-16pm-cdt-until-october-2-at-10-28pm-cdt-by-nws-hastings-ne?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [National Weather Service](https://water.noaa.gov/gauges/06876000?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/10/01/flash-flood-warning-issued-dodge-city-ford-county-heavy-downpours-inundate-sw-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [WIBW](https://www.wibw.com/2026/10/01/flash-flood-emergency-issued-dodge-city-ford-county-heavy-downpours-inundate-sw-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/10/02/heavy-rainfall-causes-flooding-across-kansas/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Hays Post](https://hayspost.com/posts/779ecb52-cf76-455d-b9a3-69aca30916e4?ref=citizenjournal.us) --- *This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. 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