Top 5 Kansas news stories

Governor Declares Emergency as Wildfires Threaten Kansas Communities

Legislative Leaders Meet Monday to Advance Chiefs Stadium Deal

Governor Declares Emergency to Address Propane Delivery Delays

KBI Director Clarifies Marijuana Remains Illegal Despite Federal Rescheduling

Lenexa Emerges as Kansas's Fastest-Growing City

1. Governor Declares Emergency as Wildfires Threaten Kansas Communities

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation Thursday as unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds created prime conditions for wildfires across the state. The Adjutant General's Department warned that vegetation which grew rapidly due to earlier moisture has now dried and become readily available fuel, increasing the potential for large and fast-moving wildfires.

In Hutchinson, a rapidly spreading grass fire burned approximately 500 acres north of the city, prompting evacuations including Plum Creek Elementary School in Buhler USD 313. The Reno County Sheriff's Office said extreme winds caused the fire to move rapidly, requiring precautionary evacuations north of 56th Street from Monroe to Lorraine, though residents have since been cleared to return home.

KWCH / citizen journal

Kansas elementary school evacuates students due to fast-moving grass fire

Update: HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The fire is burning near 82nd Street, east of Blue Spruce Road, and extending toward Rolling Hills and the 1000 block of East 69th Street. A smaller section of the fire is also active near Plum Street and 69th Street on the east side, reaching down to

citizen journalRica Simpson

2. Legislative Leaders Meet Monday to Advance Chiefs Stadium Deal

Kansas legislative leaders will convene Monday for one of the final steps toward bringing the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line, with the Legislative Coordinating Council set to consider approving Sales Tax and Revenue Bond agreements worth hundreds of millions for a domed stadium and entertainment district near the Legends shopping area in Kansas City, Kansas. Senate President Ty Masterson said he has worked to explore bringing the Chiefs to Kansas without raising taxes, though legislative and state leaders declined to offer specifics about the meeting beyond confirming the Chiefs will be on the agenda. The council will not consider any deals with the Kansas City Royals on Monday, and with a year-end deadline approaching, this represents the council's last scheduled meeting of 2025 as the Chiefs could move closer to relocating after six decades in Missouri.

Kansas Reflector

3. Governor Declares Emergency to Address Propane Delivery Delays

Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster emergency Wednesday to address propane delivery delays threatening Kansas residents, prompting the Kansas Corporation Commission to temporarily suspend federal driving hour limits for fuel haulers through Dec. 31. The supply crunch follows a Nov. 27 leak on the Mid-America Pipeline that caused significant distribution problems across the Midwest, leaving trucks waiting longer at terminals despite the pipeline's early December repair, with Kansas particularly vulnerable because Conway serves as a major regional storage hub and about 8 percent of Kansas households rely on propane as their primary heating fuel.

Kansas Governor Declares Emergency Over Propane Shortage

State waives federal driving limits for fuel haulers after pipeline leak disrupts Midwest supply

citizen journalGreg Loving

4. KBI Director Clarifies Marijuana Remains Illegal Despite Federal Rescheduling

Kansas Bureau of Investigation director Tony Mattivi responded to President Donald Trump's rescheduling of marijuana to clarify that the cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana-derived THC products remains illegal under state and federal law, with the KBI continuing to enforce existing laws. Kansas and Idaho are the only two states with no public cannabis access program, while nearly half of all states have legalized recreational marijuana and others have crafted medical programs or allow CBD with low THC levels.

CJOnline

5. Lenexa Emerges as Kansas's Fastest-Growing City

Lenexa has become Kansas's biggest "boomtown" with a 15 percent population increase between 2015 and 2023, driven by its strategic proximity to major transportation routes including Interstates 35, 70 and 435, along with K-7, K-10 and US-69 highways. The Johnson County suburb has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in developer investment over the past decade, particularly in office and industrial development, according to the city government.

CJOnline

Sources

1. KWCH
2. Kansas Reflector
3. Citizen Journal
4. CJOnline
5. CJOnline

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