Citizen Journal Scoop Challenges Marshall’s Sunday School Claim

Kansas Early Voting Surges; Democrats’ Lead Narrows to 5,000 Ballots

USDA Delivers $808 Million in Kansas Farm Payments

Hutchinson Draft Limits Large Data Centers to Industrial Parks

NCAA Names New Chiefs Stadium a Final Four Finalist

Citizen Journal Scoop Challenges Marshall’s Sunday School Claim

TOPEKA, Kan. — In a Citizen Journal original scoop, reporters traced a graphic used in Sen. Roger Marshall’s attack on Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton’s United Methodist Church of the Resurrection to a Canadian teacher, while the church said children were never taught the material. Marshall distributed fliers suggesting the congregation grooms children at Vice President JD Vance’s Oct. 26 rally and described the image as a Sunday school bulletin board. Church spokesperson Cathy Bien said volunteers saw it once more than five years ago. Bien denied the accusation and said the graphic was neither church curriculum nor instruction about gender identity. Citizen Journal traced the image to Toronto teacher Sylvia Duckworth’s 2020 publication, establishing its origin amid a Senate race rated a toss-up. Marshall’s campaign and Breitbart News, which first published the photograph, did not respond to Citizen Journal’s requests for comment; Hamilton’s campaign referred reporters to the church.

At Vance rally, Marshall flier takes church graphic out of context

Graphic made by a Canadian teacher was shown once to Resurrection volunteers, never taught to children, church says

citizen journalAminah Syed

Kansas Early Voting Surges; Democrats’ Lead Narrows to 5,000 Ballots

TOPEKA, Kan. — More than 245,000 Kansans had voted early by Oct. 27, about 80% more than at the same point in the 2022 midterm election. The total includes both in-person votes and returned mail ballots, according to state election figures. Among in-person advance voters, 85,413 were registered Democrats and 80,367 were Republicans, narrowing Democrats’ lead to about 5,000 ballots. Those figures show voters’ party registration, not which candidates they supported, and Republicans hold a large statewide registration advantage. The surge comes as voters choose between Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson for governor and between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton for the U.S. Senate. In-person advance voting ends at noon Nov. 2, and election results will not be released until polls close Nov. 3.

KCUR · KSNT

USDA Delivers $808 Million in Kansas Farm Payments

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is delivering about $808 million to Kansas farmers and landowners, the agency announced Oct. 26. The money includes payments to farmers whose crop prices or revenue fell below levels set by federal programs. Those payments cover 2025 crops, including wheat, sorghum, corn and soybeans. Other payments provide 2026 rent to landowners who keep environmentally sensitive cropland out of production. The aid supports farm income following a difficult growing season: a Kansas State University researcher estimates drought reduced the state’s 2026 wheat yield by nearly 40%.

USDA · K-State

Hutchinson Draft Limits Large Data Centers to Industrial Parks

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Planning Commission reviewed draft rules Oct. 27 that would restrict large data centers to the I-3 industrial district within Kansas Enterprise and Kimbell industrial parks, using a 100,000-square-foot threshold that counts equipment and planned campus phases. Smaller centers could locate in four zoning districts but would need case-by-case conditional use permits outside the parks, while all facilities would be barred from relying primarily on open-loop evaporative cooling and would instead need air-cooled, closed-loop or other city-approved water-efficient systems. The proposal would cap property-line noise at 60 decibels during the day and 50 at night, but commissioners left the water-use limit unresolved pending utility staff advice and supported cleanup plans for closed facilities and fire department approval before opening. A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10, with City Council consideration anticipated Dec. 1, and the city says no data center proposal has been filed. Existing interim rules already prohibit large data centers in residential districts, while neighboring South Hutchinson has a one-year moratorium and Butler County has been weighing rules for unincorporated areas. The local decisions would determine where projects can locate and how much water they can use as developers scout Kansas following a 2025 sales tax exemption for qualifying data center investments, bringing potential investment alongside substantial electricity and water demands.

Hutch Post · Citizen Journal · Hutchinson Tribune · KSN

NCAA Names New Chiefs Stadium a Final Four Finalist

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The NCAA named Kansas City one of seven finalists Oct. 27 to host a men’s Final Four during the 2032–2036 cycle, with its bid built around the Chiefs’ planned domed stadium in Wyandotte County. Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Nashville and New Orleans are also competing for the five tournaments, with selections expected in July 2027. The roughly $3 billion, approximately 70,000-seat stadium near Kansas Speedway and The Legends is scheduled to open for the 2031 NFL season, meeting the NCAA’s requirement for at least 60,000 seats under a dome that bid organizers said made the application possible. Kansas City cannot host in 2032 because the NCAA requires the venue to have operated for at least two years, according to Kansas City Sports Commission CEO Kathy Nelson. Across the state line, Kansas City, Missouri, has hosted a record 10 championship games, including seven Final Fours, most recently in 1988 at Kemper Arena. The bid tests the stadium’s ability to attract the major events cited by Kansas and Wyandotte County leaders when they supported bringing the Chiefs across the state line with STAR bond financing, which uses future sales tax revenue to repay construction debt.

NCAA · KCTV5 · KSHB · FOX4

Sources

1. Citizen Journal
2. KCUR / KSNT
3. USDA FSA / K-State
4. Hutch Post / Citizen Journal / Hutchinson Tribune / Citizen Journal / KSN / KSN
5. NCAA / KCTV5 / KSHB / FOX4

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