Topeka

• Topeka Mayor Spencer Duncan voiced disappointment over petitions filed with the Shawnee County Commission to restrict data center development. →
• Topeka Mayor Spencer Duncan defended the city's separation agreement with former City Manager Robert Perez following his resignation. →
• Interim City Manager Michael Webb officially began his tenure in Topeka, preparing the municipal government for the next permanent manager. →
• Topeka voters will consider a 10-year, 0.1 percent sales tax on the March mail-in ballot to fund affordable housing and homelessness programs. →
• A proposed 0.1 percent sales tax would generate $4 million annually for Topeka housing programs, with half going to a housing trust fund. →
• Topeka Mayor Spencer Duncan condemned anonymous online harassment and personal attacks directed at city employees and council members. →
• Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 77°F, along with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms rolling in late this afternoon.

🌾 Kansas

• A Citizen Journal investigation traced a graphic in Sen. Roger Marshall's attack flier against Democratic Senate challenger Adam Hamilton's church to a Canadian teacher, and the church denied the grooming accusation, saying the image was shown once and never taught to children. →

• More than 245,000 Kansans had voted early by Oct. 27, up about 80% from the 2022 midterms, with Democrats' lead in in-person advance votes narrowing to roughly 5,000 ballots over Republicans. →

• The USDA announced Oct. 26 it is delivering about $808 million to Kansas farmers and landowners to offset low 2025 crop prices and compensate for conservation land rent amid a drought that cut wheat yields by nearly 40%. →

• Hutchinson's Planning Commission reviewed draft rules Oct. 27 that would confine large data centers to industrial parks, require water-efficient cooling systems and cap noise levels, with a public hearing set for Nov. 10. →

• The NCAA named Kansas City, built around the Chiefs' planned domed stadium in Wyandotte County, one of seven finalists Oct. 27 to host a men's Final Four between 2032 and 2036. →

🇺🇸 US

• The Federal Reserve voted 10-2 on Oct. 28 to hold its benchmark interest rate at 3.75% to 4%, with two officials dissenting in favor of a hike. →

• Mary Peltola's Senate campaign and national Democrats allegedly worked to place a second "Dan Sullivan" on Alaska's ranked-choice ballot to split Republican votes, prompting a Justice Department lawsuit to block certification of a Peltola win. →

• A hacker group calling itself the Department of Peace published a database identifying more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, agents and associates, including undercover officers. →

• Microsoft and Alphabet reported record quarterly revenue on Oct. 28, with Azure growing 48% and Google Cloud revenue more than doubling, even as both companies ramped up massive AI infrastructure spending. →

• The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Oct. 28 to win the World Series four games to one, capturing their first championship in franchise history. →

Weather

October 29, 1969: First Electronic Message Sent via ARPANET

On this day, researchers at UCLA sent the first electronic message over ARPANET, the pioneering computer network that would evolve into today’s internet. The brief message—intended to be “login” but cut off as “LO” by a system crash—marked the beginning of global digital communication.

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