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Kansas hasn't always looked the way it looks today. It's been changing. A new book pinpoints changes across Kansas and the Great Plains using a technique called rephotography. Commentator Rex Buchanan reviews the book One Hundred and Fifty Years of Change on the Great Plains by University of Kansas biologist Town Peterson.
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The Kansas Flint Hills has lost one of its strongest voices. Author Jim Hoy died Saturday, February 22, 2025. The 86-year-old professor and prolific writer died within hours of son, Josh.
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Super storms are in the news. Hurricanes, a polar vortex and record-breaking heat. These weather phenomena are not only bad for humans. They are energy disasters. It's time to modernize and harden the grid.
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Public meetings are a chance for the public to weigh in on important topics. They're also a chance to listen to what others have to say.
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Fossils are both rare and... seemingly everywhere. A very small percentage of ancient plant and animal life became fossils. Yet, the authors of a new book say fossils can still be found in so many places, especially in the western U.S.
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There's something compelling about visiting historic sites, particularly places where sad and tragic events unfolded. Commentator Rex Buchanan visits two places that conjure up dark images from America's distant and not so distant past.
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Do you like food? What about reading about food? KPR Commentator Katie Keckeisen tells us about a woman from Riley County who changed the way we eat, and the way we think and write about food. Listen to the story of Clementine Paddleford, the Kansas woman who became America's first food writer.
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A new book examines the natural world inside the Kaw basin, that area of land that drains into the Kansas River. The book is called In the Country of the Kaw, by James Locklear. Commentator Rex Buchanan gives us his review.
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People from all across the country are coming to Kansas to see a bird. The lesser prairie chicken used to roam the Great Plains by the millions, but now... the population has dwindled to around 25,000. Commentator Rex Buchanan recently took some out-of-state folks to see the rare bird in its native habitat.
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Ever been to a museum in a foreign country and discovered an item on display from your own neck of the woods? Depending on the object and the exhibit, it can be hard to know how to feel about seeing that item. Commentator Rex Buchanan talks about a trip to a museum in Great Britain where he discovered an object on display from his own home state.
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The nation's power grid is old and starting to fall apart. But just how bad is it? The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our energy infrastructure a C-minus grade. Commentator Scott Carlberg says the grid reminds him of his 1966 Ford Mustang. It was a state-of-the-art sports car... 58 years ago.
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Many Lawrencians like to say Lawrence has a vibrant music scene. But just how healthy is it? That's one of the questions a new survey is hoping to answer. The deadline to participate is Friday.