Kansas Regulators Approve Higher Rates for Businesses with High Power Demands
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas regulators have approved new, higher electric rates for businesses with high power demands, including data centers. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved the “large-load tariff” on Thursday. The Kansas Reflector reports it allows power companies to charge higher rates to new businesses that use more than 75 megawatts of peak load energy per month. Regulators hope that will mitigate the effect data centers and other businesses that use a lot of electricity will have on residential customers’ bills.
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Kansas Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Porn Generated by AI
TOPEKA, Kan. (WDAF) — A Topeka man has been sentenced for transporting and possessing child pornography that was generated using artificial intelligence. WDAF reports Jeremy Weber, 47, will serve 25 years in prison. Investigators say uploaded photographs of women and children he knew into a publicly available AI platform. He used AI to create pornography using those photographs. A federal prosecutor says the case shows how A-I can be misused for “twisted and perverse activities.”
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Former Atchison Mayor Sentenced for Embezzlement
ATCHISON, Kan. (KSNT) — The former mayor of Atchison, Kansas, has been sentenced to five years in prison for an embezzlement scheme. Rita Hartman, 71, also managed an Atchison credit union. KSNT reports Hartman pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying entries in federal credit union records. Prosecutors say she stole from the credit union more than $300,000 in customer cash deposits. She also credited her and her relatives’ accounts with more than $400,000 in deposits that were never made. Her embezzlement wiped out the credit union, forcing it to merge with another one.
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Some Kansas Water Systems to be Tested for ‘Forever Chemicals’
UNDATED (KSN) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says it will begin testing some water systems for the manmade-chemicals known as PFAS. Sometimes referred to as forever chemicals, PFAS are used in everything from cosmetics to nonstick cookware. They can take decades or longer to break down. Exposure has been linked to health problems including high blood pressure in pregnant women and developmental delays. KSN reports KDHE will send PFAS testing kits to water systems over the coming days and weeks. The effort is part of a grant aimed at assisting water systems that serve fewer than 10,000 customers.
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Coldwater Mayor Accused of Voter Fraud Will Finish Current Term
UNDATED (KMUW) — A south-central Kansas mayor will be allowed to finish his current term, even after it was determined that he is not a U.S. citizen. KMUW reports that Coldwater Mayor Jose Ceballos is a legal permanent resident but not a citizen. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is charging the mayor for allegedly voting without citizenship. Kobach says his office learned of the case from a new federal database on non-citizens. “The only way you can discover that a non-citizen is on the voter rolls is if some sort of external information comes to light which indicates that that person is not a U.S. citizen,” Kobach added. Ceballos was re-elected on Tuesday. The city will let him finish his current term, but will not swear him in for another term in January unless he gains citizenship before then. If found guilty of the charges, Ceballos could face more than 5 years in prison.
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Supermarket Chain Offers Free Kids Meals
UNDATED (KPR) — The supermarket chain Hy-Vee says it will offer $3 meals for families at its stores that serve hot food. The move is a response to growing uncertainty over the federal food assistance program known as SNAP. Children 12 and under can eat for free. The reduced-price and free meals will be available until November 14. The chain has also started a "round-up campaign" that allows customers to support local food pantries in their communities by rounding up their purchases at checkout.
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Fort Leavenworth to Close Dining Hall Facility Earlier Than Planned
UNDATED (KNS) — Army personnel at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas now have fewer dining options after the government shutdown caused the only mess hall to close. The Kansas News Service reports that military and civilian service members, some of whom are furloughed due to the shutdown, will have to use military stipends or personal money to eat elsewhere. But an army spokesperson says officials had already planned to close the dining hall permanently in January, regardless of the shutdown. Republican Pat Proctor is a veteran who represents Leavenworth in the Kansas House. He says soldiers often skip the dining hall because they work odd hours at the military barracks. “The utilization of the dining facility on Fort Leavenworth has been historically low compared to other installations across the army just because of that uniqueness,” Proctor said. The dining hall will reopen if the shutdown ends before January 1.
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Lawrence City Manager to Step Down in 2026
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens will leave his position with the city in May of 2026. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the city announced Owens's upcoming departure in a news release Friday morning. He was hired in 2019 following the retirement of the prior City Manager, Tom Markus. The news release did not provide any details about the hiring process for Owens's replacement. Owens plans to remain in Lawrence with his family, the release said, and he plans to focus on doing “strategic advising and legacy-building work” after leaving his position managing City of Lawrence operations.
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Lawrence Rec Center Memberships to Go on Sale
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Lawrence residents will soon have to pay to use the city’s recreation centers. Membership fees will be required beginning January 5. Residents can begin purchasing memberships on November 17. Previously, use of the rec centers was free for Lawrence residents. The new fees are $120 a year for adults and $80 a year for seniors. Children 17 and under can still use the rec centers for free.
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Investment Firm CEO Linked to State of Kansas Indicted on Fraud Charges
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The former CEO of an investment firm granted a bank charter in Kansas has been arrested and jailed. Brad Heppner, a native of Hesston, Kansas, is the founder and former CEO of the Beneficient investment firm. He was taken into custody Tuesday by the Irving Police Department in Texas, and indicted in federal court in New York on multiple counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and falsification of records. The Kansas Reflector reports that his firm was granted a unique bank charter by the Kansas Legislature for one of Beneficient's subsidiaries. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson championed the legislation granting the unique charter, which allowed the company to anchor its asset-swap business in Kansas. The legislation granting the charter was opposed by the Kansas state banking commissioner, but it was signed into law by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in 2022. The charter was designed to allow Beneficient to work with investors to cash out their illiquid assets or to trade them for stock. Beneficient agreed to put money into a foundation to support economic development in rural communities, including the town of Hesston.
Heppner is accused of misappropriating at least $150 million from a Beneficient subsidiary and what prosecutors characterize as a shell company being operated for Heppner's benefit. He had resigned from Beneficient rather than cooperate with an audit examining financial irregularities. A spokesperson for Beneficient issued a statement saying that company no longer employs Heppner, and that it is pursuing its own claims against him on behalf of its shareholders.
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Kansas City-Area Amphitheater Gets Official Name
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — A new Kansas City-area amphitheater now officially has a name. KMBC reports that the amphitheater in Riverside, Missouri, will now be known as the Morton Amphitheater, as part of a partnership with The Morton Salt Group. The company moved its corporate headquarters to Overland Park in 2024. The venue, which began construction in 2024, is scheduled to open in 2026. It is expected to host more than 30 concerts each season. Officials with Live Nation, the company behind the project, say the amphitheater is expected to deliver an estimated $70 million in economic impact annually.
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Lawrence’s Newest Snowplow Name References Wizard of Oz, Ozzy Osbourne
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The winning name in Lawrence’s name-the-snowplow contest this year is the Blizzard of Oz. The city says it received more than 300 entries. The Blizzard of Oz will join last year’s winner Taylor Drift in the city’s snowplow brigade. Besides its obvious nod to the Wizard of Oz, "Blizzard of Ozz" is also the name of a popular Ozzy Osbourne album.
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