> ## 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-292/ - Published: 2026-10-21T11:49:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T11:49:46.000Z - Description: October 21 2026 - Author: Greg Loving - Tags: Kansas, #summary # Lawrence Requires Public Hearings for Data Centers # Tester Backs Coover as Kansas House Race Tightens # Judge Gives Life Sentence in 1982 Hutchinson Killing # USDA Announces $8 Billion in Farm Fuel Relief # ICYMI: Trump Backs Marshall as Senate Race Tightens --- # Lawrence Requires Public Hearings for Data Centers LAWRENCE, Kan. — City commissioners voted 5-0 on Oct. 20 to amend Lawrence’s land development code to require special use permits for future data centers, adding public review before projects can proceed. The permits require hearings before the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission and City Commission, with opportunities to impose conditions or reject proposals. Planning commissioners recommended the change 6-1 on Sept. 21; it leaves intact the two-year moratorium adopted July 14 but applies to developers granted exemptions. Mayor Brad Finkeldei said broader rules, potentially addressing water and electricity use, would follow planners’ research, while one resident said the permit requirement was insufficient. Kansas communities are weighing potential investment and tax revenue against demands on water and the electric grid after a 2025 law offered qualifying data centers costing at least $250 million a 20-year sales tax exemption. Emporia officials have promised 21 days of public review before voting on any development agreement for a proposed digital campus, while a developer near De Soto has offered neighboring households utility and property tax credits. Lawrence Journal-World · City of Lawrence · Lawrence Times · Kansas Reflector · Emporia Gazette · Washington Times --- # Tester Backs Coover as Kansas House Race Tightens LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Former Montana Sen. Jon Tester joined Democrat Don Coover before a packed room Oct. 19 to discuss agriculture, fuel prices and the election with voting underway in Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District. Coover faces Republican Rep. Derek Schmidt, and Citizen Journal reported that Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the race from safe to likely Republican. Citing federal filings, Citizen Journal reported Coover raised more than $500,000 during the third quarter against Schmidt’s roughly $300,000, although Schmidt retained about $1 million in cash compared with Coover’s $450,000\. Tester, who served 18 years in the Senate, urged reconsideration of tariffs and an end to the Iran war, while Coover called for better rural health care. Both criticized waiving Russian sanctions. They urged younger voters to participate, with Coover saying thin margins, unfavorable prices and debt costs were discouraging people trying to enter farming. [Tester stumps for Coover in tighter than expected raceVoting is already underway in Kansas' 2nd congressional district![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/cj-icon-1000-b718bb02-1567-45ce-9a93-f31dba860827.png)citizen journalMatthew Petillo![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_0267-23fda8b0-52f3-48f4-8143-d9aab0a1fea4.webp)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/tester-stumps-for-coover-in-more-competitive-than-expected-race/) --- # Judge Gives Life Sentence in 1982 Hutchinson Killing HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County judge sentenced Jerry Allen of Phoenix on Oct. 19 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 20 years for the 1982 killing of Michael McKeown, the district attorney’s office confirmed to KWCH. A jury convicted Allen in August of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Allen was hired to kill McKeown, and court documents describe two other alleged co-conspirators. McKeown was found dead in his car outside his Hutchinson apartment complex on the morning of March 24, 1982\. Allen was 75 when authorities arrested him in March 2024, about 42 years after the killing. Kansas law places no time limit on prosecuting murder, allowing the case to reach sentencing 44 years after McKeown’s death. KWCH · Kansas Legislature --- # USDA Announces $8 Billion in Farm Fuel Relief PARK CITY, Kan. — President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced $8 billion in one-time Harvest Fuel Relief payments Oct. 19 for rising diesel and other 2026 crop costs, with Trump unveiling the aid at a rally for Sen. Roger Marshall amid a closely contested Senate race. USDA said its Farm Service Agency would administer the program through the Commodity Credit Corporation, a federal farm-support fund available without new congressional legislation, using a uniform formula based on planted acres, production costs and projected yields and prices. Rates for wheat, sorghum, corn, soybeans, barley and other major field crops are due in November, and DTN reported payments would not arrive before the Nov. 3 election. The program follows $12 billion in bridge payments USDA said it distributed to more than 560,000 farmers earlier this year. KSHB reported diesel prices had risen about 70% since August, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, while an earlier report cited AAA’s record Kansas average of $6.23 a gallon. With Kansas farmers harvesting fall crops and planting wheat during a fuel-intensive season, Kansas State University economist Jennifer Ifft told KSHB the aid would provide welcome relief as farms plan for next year, while an Ottawa cooperative fuel manager described growing financial stress. USDA · DTN · KSHB 41 · CBS News · Feedstuffs · Iowa Capital Dispatch --- # ICYMI: Trump Backs Marshall as Senate Race Tightens PARK CITY, Kan. — President Donald Trump campaigned for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall at Heartland Credit Union Arena on Oct. 19 as two election forecasters rated the Kansas Senate race a toss-up. Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Kansas City-area pastor, and Libertarian David Graham in the Nov. 3 election. Citizen Journal reported the approximately 6,000-seat arena was about two-thirds full, with Attorney General Kris Kobach, Rep. Tracey Mann and gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson also attending. Cook Political Report moved the race from likely to lean Republican in September and to toss-up Oct. 6, followed by Sabato’s Crystal Ball the next week, according to Citizen Journal. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, and the Senate Leadership Fund has redirected millions in advertising from other battlegrounds to defend Marshall’s seat. Trump praised Marshall and criticized Hamilton while promoting gun rights and his economic record; Hamilton’s campaign accused Republicans of diverting attention from fuel prices, health care and corruption as the parties competed for control of Congress. [Trump Stumps for Marshall as Kansas Senate Seat Rated Toss-UpCook and Sabato now rate the race even; Kansas hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/cj-icon-1000-1479db44-a8f2-4110-bc01-29050b30cecc.png)citizen journalSarah Newberry![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_3256-9855d5c0-05b9-42e9-9cf9-ab2db76cd2ea.webp)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/trump-stumps-for-marshall-as-kansas-senate-seat-rated-toss-up/) --- ## Sources 1. [Lawrence Journal-World](https://www2.ljworld.com/news/city-government/2026/oct/20/lawrence-city-commission-approves-extra-layers-of-oversight-for-data-centers-asks-for-patience-on-further-regulations/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [City of Lawrence](https://lawrenceks.civicweb.net/document/471703/Consider%20approving%20a%20text%20amendment,%20AMDT-26-00.pdf?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Lawrence Times](https://lawrencekstimes.com/2026/09/21/planning-comm-data-center-text-amendment/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Lawrence Journal-World](https://www2.ljworld.com/news/city-government/2026/jul/14/lawrence-city-commission-starts-process-of-developing-data-center-rules-imposes-24-month-moratorium/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Kansas Reflector](https://kansasreflector.com/2026/10/09/debate-about-kansas-law-incentivizing-data-center-construction-charges-up-governors-race/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Emporia Gazette](https://www.emporiagazette.com/free/article%5F32c1ea96-34f5-4215-aebb-9f2c91a5e1eb.html?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/oct/15/data-center-developer-offers-residents-kansas-town-20-million-utility/?ref=citizenjournal.us) 2. [Citizen Journal](https://www.citizenjournal.us/tester-stumps-for-coover-in-more-competitive-than-expected-race/) 3. [KWCH](https://www.kwch.com/2026/10/20/phoenix-man-convicted-more-than-40-year-old-hutchinson-cold-case-sentenced-life-prison/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Kansas Legislature](https://kslegislature.gov/b2025%5F26/laws/021%5F000%5F0000%5Fchapter/021%5F051%5F0000%5Farticle/021%5F051%5F0007%5Fsection/021%5F051%5F0007%5Fk/?ref=citizenjournal.us) 4. [USDA](https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/10/19/trump-administration-announces-8-billion-harvest-fuel-relief-program?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [DTN](https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/business-inputs/article/2026/10/20/rollins-announces-8-billion-harvest?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KSHB 41](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kansas/miami-county/a-band-aid-kansas-farmers-feel-the-diesel-squeeze-as-president-trump-unveils-8-billion-in-aid?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-farmer-harvest-fuel-relief-aid/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Feedstuffs](https://www.feedstuffs.com/policy/administration-announces-8b-harvest-fuel-relief-program?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [Iowa Capital Dispatch](https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/10/20/usda-offering-8b-in-farmer-relief-payments/?ref=citizenjournal.us) / [KSHB 41](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kansas/miami-county/kansas-diesel-fuel-hits-record-high-6-23-per-gallon-putting-pressure-on-farmers-at-harvest-time?ref=citizenjournal.us) 5. [Citizen Journal](https://www.citizenjournal.us/trump-stumps-for-marshall-as-kansas-senate-seat-rated-toss-up/) --- *This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our [AI policy](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ai-policy/).* --- Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below: [Contact Us](https://www.citizenjournal.us/contact/) --- 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! 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