hcj

Top 6 Kansas news stories

October 21 2025

Greg Loving

21 Oct 2025 • 5 min read

Rural Kansas Hospitals Face Looming Financial Crisis From Federal Medicaid Cuts

Davids, Marshall Lead Kansas Congressional Delegation in Campaign Fundraising

Kansas Soybean Farmers Await China Trade Deal as Prices Sink

Republicans Push for Substantial Farm Bailout to Offset Trade War Losses

KU Chancellor Participates in White House Talks on Controversial Trump Education Deal

Company Bucks Outsourcing Trend, Brings Service Jobs to Rural America

Rural Kansas Hospitals Face Looming Financial Crisis From Federal Medicaid Cuts

Brian Williams, CEO of Labette Health in Parsons, regularly discusses hospital concerns with community members over lunch, and lately the talk has turned to financial survival. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Medicaid reimbursements will drop 10% annually starting in 2028, with estimates suggesting rural hospitals nationwide will face $70 billion in cuts over the next decade—a potentially devastating blow to healthcare access in southeast Kansas and similar communities where hospitals serve as economic anchors and vital healthcare providers.

CJOnline

Davids, Marshall Lead Kansas Congressional Delegation in Campaign Fundraising

New Federal Election Commission filings show Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Sen. Roger Marshall topped Kansas' congressional delegation in third-quarter fundraising, with Davids bringing in $676,000 in net contributions and Marshall collecting nearly $682,000 in total receipts. Despite their strong fundraising, Sen. Jerry Moran—who isn't on the ballot in 2026—holds the largest war chest at $5.2 million, followed by Marshall with $3.4 million, Rep. Tracey Mann with $2.2 million, Rep. Ron Estes with $1.5 million, Davids with just over $1 million, and freshman Rep. Derek Schmidt with $452,000 cash on hand.

CJOnline

Kansas Soybean Farmers Await China Trade Deal as Prices Sink

Kansas farmers facing a challenging year of low prices are running out of time for relief as they await a potential deal between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that could resume Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans. Soybean prices rose Monday on anticipation of the upcoming meeting between the two leaders, with U.S. soybean exports expected to drop from 1.9 billion bushels last year to under 1.7 billion this year—a decline agriculture economists attribute almost entirely to trade problems with China, which has reduced its purchases to zero as Beijing leverages the dispute.

Washington Examiner

Republicans Push for Substantial Farm Bailout to Offset Trade War Losses

Republican lawmakers say Kansas farmers and other agricultural producers will need "substantial" federal assistance to cope with ongoing trade war impacts, with discussions centered on a multibillion-dollar White House bailout plan. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman and Sen. Chuck Grassley indicate the aid package could range from $10 to $14 billion, though the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation fund currently holds only $4 billion, meaning relief would likely come in multiple payments potentially funded by tariff revenue.

Washington Examiner

KU Chancellor Participates in White House Talks on Controversial Trump Education Deal

University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod joined federal officials Friday in discussions about President Trump's proposed compact offering preferential treatment to universities that agree to freeze tuition, limit international student enrollment and restrict campus employees' political expression, according to KU officials Monday. Seven of nine universities originally offered the deal have rejected it, prompting denouncements from the American Council on Education and dozens of education associations, though KU was brought into last-minute virtual meetings along with Washington University in St. Louis and Arizona State University to provide feedback on what Education Secretary Linda McMahon called "an important step toward defending a shared vision."

Kansas Reflector

Company Bucks Outsourcing Trend, Brings Service Jobs to Rural America

While hiring stalls in much of the country, Provalus is expanding 35% to 40% annually by investing in rural communities instead of sending insurance-claims processing, cybersecurity monitoring and other service jobs overseas or to major metro areas. The company, founded in 2017 by outsourcing executive Chuck Ruggiero, specifically targets small Southern towns where average individual income hovers around $30,000, offering residents opportunities to learn 21st-century skills in markets that have experienced decades of disinvestment. Provalus currently has around 250 open positions with hundreds more planned, representing what company executives describe as a model for reversing economic decline in often-overlooked pockets of the country by tapping into rural America's "untapped labor market" of workers with "grit, grind and aptitude."

WSJ

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