Topeka

• With the current school finance formula expiring in 2027, school district officials warn of potential legislative cuts to at-risk funding and expansions of private school vouchers. →
• Topeka Public Schools faces potential fines up to $100,000 under a new state law that requires parental permission for student protests and mandates making up missed instructional time. →
• The TDC board granted a 30-day inspection extension for the sale of Hotel Topeka to Endeavor Hotel Group, protecting the buyer's $100,000 deposit while the city navigates management contract terminations and a staff re-application process. Despite negotiations with Shawnee County causing the delay, officials confirmed the property's original June 14 closing date remains unchanged. →
• Despite neighbor concerns about noise and notice, the city council unanimously approved a right-of-way vacation for the $53.5 million Johnson-Betts Meadows development. →
• The County Commission unanimously approved over $6.58 million in payments covering road projects, social services, and the purchase of a new solid waste truck. →
• The county authorized a $30,000 repair to the adult detention center's HVAC system, a move expected to save taxpayers $300,000 by avoiding a full unit replacement. →
• Shawnee County approved a fund exchange agreement to receive $948,000 in state transportation funds for bridge infrastructure, a significant increase over previous years. →
• The county completed a multi-year rehabilitation of six pump stations and is now moving forward with a $5 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant. →
• Silas B. A. Kriner, 22, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a fatal shooting that occurred in south Topeka in 2024. The sentence follows Kriner’s guilty plea in the case. →
• A 15-year-old Topeka teen has been arrested for murder following the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man in the Montara area on Tuesday. Shawnee County deputies took the suspect into custody after the deadly encounter claimed the life of the local victim. →
• It's going to be a gorgeous sunny day with a high near 79, though you'll want to watch out for those southeast wind gusts reaching up to 30 mph.

🌾 Kansas

• Kansas's first 3D-printed home in Topeka has completed its wall construction, with the two-bedroom structure costing about $170 per square foot compared to $225 or more for traditional builds and expected to be move-in ready by June. →

• Connie Palacioz, a 101-year-old World War II-era "Rosie the Riveter" who helped build B-29 Superfortresses in Wichita and later volunteered on the B-29 DOC restoration project, died Sunday. →

• Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rallied Kansas Democrats at Century II in Wichita on Friday, urging the party to pay closer attention to Kansas voters ahead of the 2026 midterms. →

• A Legislative Post Audit review found that an estimated $700,000 to $1.2 million in federal SNAP benefits may have been paid to recipients living outside Kansas during fiscal years 2023 and 2024, less than 1% of state spending. →

• The U.S. Department of Education determined Friday that four Kansas school districts — Kansas City, Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Topeka — violated Title IX and FERPA through their gender-inclusive policies and threatened to terminate federal funding if agreements are not reached. →

🇺🇸 US

• U.S. manufacturing production rose 2.3% since January 2025 despite losing 100,000 factory jobs, driven by AI infrastructure demand that has fueled 16 consecutive quarters of capacity expansion—the longest sustained growth streak in nearly two decades. →

• Users who deactivated Facebook or Instagram for six weeks before the 2020 election reported measurable improvements in happiness, depression and anxiety compared with those who stayed on the platforms, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. →

• Florida's population boom is reversing as working-age residents leave for more affordable states while the influx of newcomers slows, threatening an economy dependent on continued growth and real-estate development. →

• Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket successfully reused and re-landed its first stage Sunday but failed to deliver AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite to its intended orbit, forcing the spacecraft to be de-orbited. →

• U.S. forces fired on and boarded the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska after it violated the American blockade of Iran, marking the first use of force since the blockade took effect. →

Weather

APRIL 20 2010: DEEPWATER HORIZON EXPLOSION TRIGGERS MASSIVE GULF OIL SPILL

An offshore drilling rig operated for BP exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. The blowout unleashed roughly 4.9 million barrels of crude oil, causing the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history and long-term damage to Gulf coast ecosystems and economies.

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