Topeka

• DONATE HERE: McPherson County Community Foundation opened a fund to support families by the tragedy at a Wichita soccer field. →
• Topeka's Public Infrastructure Committee delayed voting on a $136.5 million capital improvement request for water and sewer projects. →
• An estimated $155,000 cost for a March special election prompted one Topeka City Council member to vote against a housing sales tax measure. →
• Topeka's Public Infrastructure Committee reviewed a stormwater master plan identifying 46 high-risk drainage basins across the city. →
• Topeka paused flood mitigation along Shunga Creek while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts a study on federal funding options. →
• Topeka's Public Infrastructure Committee approved a $1.4 million pavement project at 21st Street and Wanamaker Road set for May 2027. →
• Topeka reopened Huntoon Street, but sewer line conflicts will delay work at 17th Street and Topeka Boulevard until mid-November. →
• Expect plenty of sunshine today across Topeka with light winds and an afternoon high reaching 80°F.

🌾 Kansas

• Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton clashed over diesel prices, tariffs and party loyalty in their final debate Wednesday before the Nov. 3 election, with polling showing a near tie. →

• Kansas governor candidates Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher presented competing affordability plans Wednesday at a Baxter Springs Chamber of Commerce event, clashing over property taxes, Medicaid expansion and data centers. →

• Data center proposals across five Kansas counties have sparked disputes over closed-door negotiations, nondisclosure agreements and costly records requests, including a $14,000 fee estimate for an Emporia records request ahead of a citywide vote on banning high-impact data centers. →

• Deep Fission shares have fallen more than 50% since a Sept. 24 critical report alleging the company's proposed underground pilot reactor near Parsons understated costs and overestimated electricity pricing. →

• St. James Academy defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 26-7 Wednesday to win Kansas' first state-sanctioned girls flag football championship, in a game relocated to Overland Park after a fatal vehicle crash at the original Wichita venue. →

🇺🇸 US

• Employer-sponsored family health coverage premiums topped $28,000 in 2026, up 5%, as workers' contributions rose 9% to $7,471, according to KFF's annual survey. →

• AIPAC told members Oct. 21 it will stop endorsing candidates and making direct campaign contributions through its PAC, shifting to individual giving ahead of the midterms. →

• The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Oct. 21 to lift an injunction halting border-barrier construction in West Texas' Big Bend region. →

• Meta reported Oct. 21 that third-quarter revenue rose 26% to $64.6 billion, but a $9.89 billion settlement charge over teen mental health claims cut operating income 37%. →

• The State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21, citing escalating Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure. →

Weather

October 22, 1962: JFK Addresses Nation on Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy informed Americans that U.S. spy planes had discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba, capable of striking major U.S. cities. He announced a naval “quarantine” of the island and warned that the United States was prepared to use military force to remove this “reckless and provocative” threat.

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.

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