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Top 5 Kansas news stories

October 8 2025

Greg Loving

08 Oct 2025 • 4 min read

Kansas Gov Laura Kelly - TCJ

Kelly Launches "People's Budget" Listening Tour Across Kansas

Trump Administration's Wind Energy Policies Threaten Kansas, Red State Producers

De Soto Pushes Forward With Major Growth Despite Panasonic Uncertainty

Soybean Farmers Face Crisis as China Market Disappears During Harvest

Topeka Zoo's Cora, Elephant Star of "Smokey and the Bandit II," Dies at 67

1. Kelly Launches "People's Budget" Listening Tour Across Kansas

Governor Laura Kelly will visit eight Kansas communities this fall to gather public input on the state budget ahead of the 2026 legislative session. The statewide tour comes in response to what Kelly calls "reckless" budgeting by the Legislature, which passed an April budget projected to leave Kansas spending $300 to $700 million more than it receives annually for the foreseeable future. The tour stops include Salina (Oct. 9), Hays (Oct. 29), Garden City (Oct. 29), Kansas City (Nov. 3), Leawood (Nov. 5), Emporia (Nov. 6), Pittsburg (Nov. 10), and Wichita (Nov. 12). Kelly will be joined by Budget Director Adam Proffitt at town hall events open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kansas Governor

2. Trump Administration's Wind Energy Policies Threaten Kansas, Red State Producers

Kansas and fellow Trump-supporting states Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa lead the nation in wind energy production, but new federal policies threaten jobs and tens of billions in planned investment across the region. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, defended wind energy as essential to keeping electricity prices low in states without oil or gas reserves, noting Iowa has more than 100 wind farms with additional projects planned through 2027.

WSJ

3. De Soto Pushes Forward With Major Growth Despite Panasonic Uncertainty

De Soto is advancing plans for hundreds of new housing units, a hotel, a data center, and expanded Merck Animal Health facilities even as Panasonic may delay full production at its electric vehicle battery plant. The developments could bring at least 60% more people to the town of 6,500 residents, with Panasonic alone planning to hire 4,000 workers, while some residents raise concerns about infrastructure strain and environmental impacts.

Kansas Reflector

4. Soybean Farmers Face Crisis as China Market Disappears During Harvest

American soybean farmers are harvesting a bumper crop without their largest customer after China stopped purchasing U.S. soybeans, threatening to devastate prices across farm states including Kansas. Illinois farmer Ron Kindred, who has contracts for only 40% of his harvest, warned that "we'll see the bottom drop out" without a trade deal soon as prices already decline in his area.

WSJ

5. Topeka Zoo's Cora, Elephant Star of "Smokey and the Bandit II," Dies at 67

The Topeka Zoo's Asian elephant Cora, who appeared alongside Burt Reynolds in the 1980 film "Smokey and the Bandit II," died Oct. 7 at age 67. The pachyderm drew attention last June when participants in a popular road trip visited the zoo to see the movie star elephant 45 years after her Hollywood debut.

CJOnline

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