Top 5 Kansas news stories

December Heat Shatters Records Across Western Kansas Before Arctic Front Arrives

Salina Reports Three Suspected Avian Flu Cases in Local Geese

Missouri Sports Betting Launch Threatens Kansas Gaming Tax Revenue

Wichita Police Warn Social Media Treasure Hunts Damage City Parks

Leavenworth Residents Oppose CoreCivic's ICE Detention Center Permit Citing Safety Record

1. December Heat Shatters Records Across Western Kansas Before Arctic Front Arrives

WICHITA, Kan. — A December warm spell pushed Garden City, Colby, and Russell into record territory Thursday afternoon with temperatures of 73, 74, and 72 degrees, respectively, surpassing previous daily records before an Arctic front sweeps through the state Thursday night, dropping weekend highs into the 30s.

KWCH

2. Salina Reports Three Suspected Avian Flu Cases in Local Geese

WICHITA, Kan. — Salina officials confirmed three suspected cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in local geese following multiple wildlife calls last week, with infected birds displaying neurological impairment, breathing difficulties, and nasal discharge before requiring humane euthanization to prevent the highly contagious and fatal virus from spreading to other birds, felines, and potentially humans.

KWCH

3. Missouri Sports Betting Launch Threatens Kansas Gaming Tax Revenue

Kansas faces potential decline in gaming revenue after Missouri legalized online sports betting December 1, threatening the $16.7 million in tax revenue Kansas collected from sports wagering in fiscal year 2025 as cross-border bettors who previously traveled to Kansas can now wager from home. Since Kansas legalized sports betting in September 2022, it attracted bettors from neighboring states where the activity remained restricted, with only Colorado having legalized sports betting before Kansas among its four bordering states, while Nebraska and Oklahoma continue limiting wagering to retail locations like casinos.

CJOnline

4. Wichita Police Warn Social Media Treasure Hunts Damage City Parks

WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita police are urging content creators to stop damaging public property during social media treasure hunts after an increase in participants digging into turf, landscaping, and flowerbeds at city parks, creating safety hazards that violate city ordinances prohibiting excavation on park grounds.

KWCH

5. Leavenworth Residents Oppose CoreCivic's ICE Detention Center Permit Citing Safety Record

TOPEKA — Nineteen residents packed Leavenworth City Council chambers Tuesday to oppose CoreCivic's application for a special use permit to reopen its closed prison as an ICE detention center, citing lawsuits alleging inhumane conditions in California facilities and a $28 million Tennessee jury verdict against the company for failing to protect an inmate from a repeat violent offender. The company applied Monday to convert its shuttered Leavenworth facility into the Midwest Regional Reception Center despite concerns about past mismanagement before the prison closed in 2021. City officials say the special permitting process allows Leavenworth to impose additional operational requirements on the property.

Kansas Reflector

Sources

1. https://www.kwch.com/2025/12/10/record-highs-arctic-air/
2. https://www.kwch.com/2025/12/11/avian-flu-likely-found-geese-salina/
3. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/12/11/missouri-legalizes-online-sports-betting-will-border-crossings-cease/87689470007/
4. https://www.kwch.com/2025/12/11/wichita-police-warn-against-damaging-property-social-media-treasure-hunts/
5. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/11/kansas-residents-ask-leavenworth-to-deny-corecivic-permit-for-ice-prison-based-on-track-record/

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