Top 5 Kansas news stories
December 8 2025
Marshall Unveils Healthcare Plan As GOP Worries Mount Over Political Vulnerability
Temperature Swings Bring Warmup Before Midweek Cooldown Across Kansas
Kansans Rate State Economy More Favorably Than National Outlook, Poll Shows
Chiefs' Dynasty Crumbles As Texans Hand Kansas City Fifth Loss, Ending Playoff Hopes
Kansas And Kansas State Decline Bowl Games, Citing Roster Turnover And Changing Landscape
1. Marshall Unveils Healthcare Plan As GOP Worries Mount Over Political Vulnerability
Kansas Senator Roger Marshall plans to introduce comprehensive healthcare legislation Monday as Republican lawmakers grow increasingly anxious about lacking a unified alternative to the Affordable Care Act. The Marshall Plan Act would extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies for one year while incorporating fraud prevention measures, price transparency requirements, and a transition to health savings accounts favored by President Trump. Marshall, a physician, warned fellow Republicans that failure to restore economic prosperity could cost the party in next year's elections. "America is ready to see what Republicans are for," the Kansas senator said, joining a growing number of GOP lawmakers pushing healthcare proposals on Capitol Hill after years of campaigning on ACA repeal without offering a replacement plan.
WSJ
2. Temperature Swings Bring Warmup Before Midweek Cooldown Across Kansas
After Sunday's blustery conditions in the 30s, Kansas temperatures will climb from morning lows in the teens and 20s to the mid-to-upper 40s today under clearing skies, with Tuesday bringing even warmer conditions in the upper 50s and lower 60s—up to 15 degrees above normal for early December. Another cold front arriving Wednesday will bring gusty winds and cooler temperatures but no precipitation, continuing a pattern of temperature fluctuations expected through the weekend with no significant rain or snow in the long-range forecast.
KWCH
3. Kansans Rate State Economy More Favorably Than National Outlook, Poll Shows
Kansans expressed greater confidence in their state's economic health than the national economy, according to Fort Hays State University's annual Kansas Speaks survey released in October. Sixty percent of respondents rated the Kansas economy as excellent, very good or good—the strongest sentiment in three years—while only 36% believe the state economy is worsening compared to 54% who see the national economy deteriorating.
Meanwhile, 57% believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, and Kansans expressed significantly greater concern that the national economy could threaten their family's well-being compared to worries about the state economy. The 2025 poll was the first time the survey asked about the national economy.
CJOnline
4. Chiefs' Dynasty Crumbles As Texans Hand Kansas City Loss, Ending Playoff Hopes
The Kansas City Chiefs' historic run of dominance ended Sunday night with a 20-10 loss to Houston, virtually eliminating the three-time defending AFC champions from playoff contention for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era and snapping streaks of nine consecutive division titles and seven straight conference championship appearances. The Texans, riding a five-game winning streak behind the league's top-ranked defense, improved to 8-5, while Kansas City faces an early offseason following a shocking collapse that has reshaped the AFC playoff picture.
NYT
5. Kansas And Kansas State Decline Bowl Games, Citing Roster Turnover And Changing Landscape
Both Kansas and Kansas State opted out of postseason bowl games Sunday, reflecting growing skepticism about lower-tier bowls amid sweeping changes in college football. Kansas, finishing 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Big 12 play, declined a Birmingham Bowl invitation as a replacement team, extending its bowl drought to two years as the program prepares to replace 33 departing seniors, including longtime quarterback Jalon Daniels, in an active transfer portal and NIL environment. Number 25 Kansas State, bowl-eligible at 6-6, turned down its bid following recent coaching changes and consultations with players and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, accepting a $500,000 conference fine that matched Iowa State's earlier penalty for a similar decision. Multiple 5-7 programs with strong Academic Progress Rates—including Rice, Mississippi State and Appalachian State—received invitations to fill vacant bowl slots, as coaches and administrators increasingly cite player health, staff transitions, roster uncertainty and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as reasons borderline teams are reconsidering non-marquee postseason games.
Sources
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