Topeka

• A pavement preservation report estimates it would cost $741 million to bring all Topeka streets to good condition, while the city's current sales tax funding only generates $20 million annually. →
• Topeka officials are preparing for a bond issue this summer to secure funding for various planned infrastructure and capital improvement projects. →
• Limited revenue has forced the city to defer replacing a 12-inch water line on Huntoon Street despite a recent break, though the segment will still receive scheduled surface repaving. →
• The city council approved a TIF district and tax rebates for the renovation of the 47-unit Pioneer Adams Townhomes, which will keep 38 units affordable for 30 years. →
• The Shawnee County Weed Department warned that state plans to add five new plants to the noxious weed list will have a significant financial impact on the county. →
• City officials and consultants are addressing safety concerns and reports of respiratory illnesses among employees following a sewage overflow at the Oakland Wastewater Treatment Plant. →
• The Board of Education approved 180 open enrollment slots for nonresident students for the 2026-27 academic year, focusing on right-sizing classrooms at local high schools. →
• Following a record-breaking year for attendance, the zoo announced that its new Tiger Trails & Den Academy exhibit is on schedule to open in June 2026. →
• A proposed ordinance to limit chicken ownership and ban roosters on small properties was sent back to committee for further refinement regarding bird welfare and space requirements. →
• Expect a pleasant, partly sunny day with a high of 77, though it will be breezy with south winds gusting up to 30 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that Kansas is awarding $18.9 million to fund 53 airport development projects across the state through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program. →

• The United Kansas Party and the Free State Party announced Tuesday they are merging to field candidates under the United Kansas name and draw support from voters dissatisfied with both major parties. →

• PBS Kansas is mourning broadcast engineer Ivy Unruh, 25, who died Monday from a gunshot wound sustained Friday outside her northeast Wichita apartment, with her estranged husband charged with first-degree murder. →

• The University of Kansas has posted mixed results in recent national and international college rankings, with continued declines in global assessments even as its standing in U.S. News & World Report improved this year. →

• Thirteen Kansas student teams won state championships at the Kansas KidWind State Finals on April 11 and will advance to the World KidWind Challenge in Madison, Wisconsin, in May. →

🇺🇸 US

• President Trump extended the U.S. cease-fire with Iran with no set end date, hours before two ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. →

• The U.S. has expended at least 45 percent of key missile stockpiles during seven weeks of war with Iran, creating a near-term ammunition risk in future conflicts, according to Pentagon officials and a CSIS analysis. →

• Two U.S. embassy officials killed in a Sunday car crash in northern Mexico were CIA officers operating as part of expanded counternarcotics operations, according to two people familiar with the matter. →

• House Republicans are seeking FBI briefings on at least 10 deaths or disappearances among U.S. nuclear and aerospace scientists since 2022 to determine whether the cases pose a national security concern. →

• Private trade schools are charging tuition bills reaching tens of thousands of dollars as demand for blue-collar training surges and free community college and union apprenticeship programs fill up. →

Weather

APRIL 22, 1889: OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH BEGINS

At noon, an estimated 50,000 “Boomers” raced into formerly Indian Territory to claim 1.9 million acres the U.S. government had opened to white settlement. The chaotic rush, marred by fraud from early-arriving “Sooners,” marked a key moment in the transfer of Native-held lands into white ownership. They were called “Sooners” because they slipped into the territory sooner than the legal start time to grab prime claims—a nickname later embraced by the University of Oklahoma for its athletic teams and identity.

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