Topeka

• DONATE HERE: McPherson County Community Foundation opened a fund to support families by the tragedy at a Wichita soccer field. →
• Topeka finance officials warned that sales tax collections are projected to fall roughly $700,000 short of 2026 budget expectations. →
• The City of Topeka expects to use $4 million in reserves to balance the 2026 budget, $3 million less than originally planned. →
• The Topeka City Council voted 8-1 to place a 0.1 percent sales tax for affordable housing and homelessness on the March 2027 ballot. →
• Topeka officials plan to pursue a half-cent sales tax in August 2027 to address a projected deficit and relocate three fire stations. →
• The Topeka City Council unanimously accepted the unexpected resignation of City Manager Robert Perez following an executive session. →
• The Topeka City Council appointed Braxton Copley acting city manager and moved to hire Michael Webb as interim city manager. →
• The Topeka City Council voted to place a charter ordinance creating an independent city auditor on the March 2027 ballot. →
• After a slight chance of early morning showers, expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 77°F.

🌾 Kansas

• Lawrence city commissioners voted 5-0 on Oct. 20 to require special use permits and public hearings for future data centers, building on the city's existing two-year moratorium. →

• Former Montana Sen. Jon Tester campaigned for Democrat Don Coover on Oct. 19 in Kansas' 2nd Congressional District as forecasters shifted the race against Republican Rep. Derek Schmidt from safe to likely Republican. →

• A Reno County judge sentenced Jerry Allen of Phoenix on Oct. 19 to life in prison for the 1982 murder of Michael McKeown, a case that took 44 years to reach sentencing. →

• The USDA announced $8 billion in one-time Harvest Fuel Relief payments on Oct. 19 to help farmers cope with rising diesel and other 2026 crop costs, though payments won't arrive before the Nov. 3 election. →

• ICYM: President Trump campaigned for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall on Oct. 19 as election forecasters rated the Kansas Senate race against Democrat Adam Hamilton a toss-up. →

🇺🇸 US

• President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced a $25 million program Tuesday to reward tips about federal fraud that lead to criminal charges. →

• President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has spent or will spend more than $400 million to help Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. →

• The Ohio Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that Lordstown could halt its review of a data center proposal submitted before the village's moratorium. →

• SpaceX reported Tuesday that third-quarter revenue rose 161% to about $14.6 billion as artificial intelligence became its largest business by revenue, overtaking Starlink. →

• Russia released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced while meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. →

Weather

OCTOBER 21, 1967: THOUSANDS PROTEST THE WAR IN VIETNAM

On October 21, 1967, nearly 100,000 demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, with more than half marching to the Pentagon to demand an end to the conflict. The massive demonstration highlighted growing public opposition to President Lyndon Johnson’s war policy and signaled a fracture in the nation’s Cold War consensus.

This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our AI policy.

Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:

Contact Us