Topeka

• Topeka home prices jumped 63% from 2019 to 2025 while incomes rose only 13%, according to the city's housing consolidated action plan. →
• The Topeka Planning Commission debated zoning rules for hyperscale data centers to prepare for future development applications. →
• The Topeka Public Infrastructure Committee voted 2-1 to advance a $23 million reconstruction of Huntoon Street. →
• Topeka city staff proposed zoning code amendments to define and allow tiny homes and factory-built housing in residential districts. →
• The Topeka Planning Commission approved the Historic Old Town Neighborhood Plan, directing $1.1 million to local infrastructure upgrades. →
• KDOT closed access to Interstate 70 at California Avenue in Topeka for an ongoing bridge replacement project through late 2026. →
• Expect a scorching, sunny day in Topeka with a high near 101°F and heat index values climbing as high as 109, along with breezy south winds gusting up to 25 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Adam Hamilton launched his first general election TV ad Aug. 18, filmed in Lebanon, Kansas, ahead of his Nov. 3 race against Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall. →

• Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Transportation announced more than $61 million this week for road, sidewalk, bicycle and trail projects across the state. →

• Crews installed University of Kansas and Wichita State University logos Aug. 16 on the roughly $300 million Wichita Biomedical Campus, which is set to open for classes in spring 2027. →

• Police and Kansas City, Kansas, Animal Services removed 81 emaciated dogs from a home Saturday after responding to a report of aggressive dogs fighting, booking two people into the Wyandotte County Jail. →

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported 60% of Kansas topsoil was short or very short of moisture for the week ending Aug. 16, up from about 54% two weeks earlier. →

🇺🇸 US

• The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield surged to 5.333% on Tuesday, its highest level since June 2007, pushing the average 30-year mortgage rate to 6.75% and dragging the S&P 500 lower for a third straight session. →

• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring data centers to fund their own power and pay full electricity costs, with developers also required to draw significant clean energy, commit to local hiring and secure community support. →

• Self-described Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon upset heavily-funded Alexander Vindman in Florida's Democratic Senate primary, winning about 56% of the vote despite raising less than $1 million to his $16 million. →

• Apple will rewrite its EU App Store terms by Oct. 1, cutting its standard commission from 30% to 26% and replacing per-install fees with a 5% transaction fee, setting a precedent U.S. developers could cite in antitrust fights. →

• The UAE halted all trade and financial ties with Iran on Wednesday after accusing Tehran of launching ballistic missiles toward its territory, deepening a regional realignment that has drawn Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan to condemn Iran. →

Weather

AUGUST 19, 1953: CIA‑BACKED COUP TOPPLES IRAN’S DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED LEADER

With funding and support from the United States and Britain, Iran’s military overthrew Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq and restored the Shah to power, reversing Mosaddeq’s move to nationalize the country’s oil. The coup cemented Iran as a key U.S. Cold War ally for decades, but it also sowed deep anti-American resentment that helped fuel the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

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.