Some Federal Employees in Kansas Return to Work
UNDATED (KNS) — The end of the government shutdown has some federal employees in Kansas returning to work for the first time in over a month. The Kansas News Service reports that 17,000 federal employees in Kansas were forced to continue working without pay, or sent home indefinitely. Fifteen of those work at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park in Topeka. Jessica Barnett, the acting manager for interpretation, education and visitor services at the park, says the building reopened the day after the shutdown ended. “A lot of dusting needed to be done after being closed for six weeks. But we got it ready and...we're super prepared for people to come back,” she added.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene is also federally run. In a post on social media, the library said it is working to reopen as soon as possible.
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Some Farm Bill Programs Get One-Year Extension in New Federal Funding Package
UNDATED (HPM) — The federal funding package that reopened the government also included a one-year extension for certain Farm Bill programs. Harvest Public Media reports that this brings some temporary relief to farmers. The extension of the 2018 farm bill reauthorized many of the rural development and conservation programs expiring this fall and winter. Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union, says the extension is a small step in the right direction. “We are long-overdue for a permanent farm bill, three years overdue,” he explained. The One Big Beautiful Bill passed earlier this year addressed some key farm bill policies, including boosting safety nets for farmers. But Lehman says it also did a lot of damage with massive cuts to nutrition programs and left out other parts of the farm bill.
Kalee Olson is a policy manager at the Center for Rural Affairs, which advocates for small business owners and family farms and ranches. “We're very happy to see a farm bill extension. While it might not be perfect, it's important that that farm bill is in place,” she said. The extension reauthorizes several rural development initiatives, like the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. It supports small business owners with 10 or fewer full-time employees. “It can help daycare providers, mechanics, small town gyms …the possibilities are really, really pretty endless,” Olson explained. She says this and other USDA programs are vital for rural communities.
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Non-Citizen Kansas Mayor Charged with Election Fraud
COLDWATER, Kan. (KAKE) - The mayor of a western Kansas now is facing multiple felonies for allegedly voting in elections despite not being a U.S. citizen. New records released by the Department of Homeland Security Thursday reveal that the mayor of Coldwater, Jose Ceballos, is a Mexican immigrant and a legal permanent resident - but is not legally allowed to vote in U.S. elections because he is not a U.S. citizen. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced last week that the mayor will be prosecuted for three counts of illegal voting and three counts of election perjury. KAKE TV reports that the 54-year-old Ceballos was re-elected as the mayor of Coldwater just last week.
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K-State Student Pilots Advance to National Competition
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) - Student pilots from the K-State campus in Salina recently competed at a regional aviation contest in St. Louis. The K-State team did so well that they qualified for the national competition in May of 2026. This is the 12th time in the past 15 years that the K-State Salina Flight Team has qualified to compete at the national aviation competition.
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Report: Kansas City Agreed to Pay Ousted City Manager $500,000
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Kansas City Star) — Kansas City agreed to pay its former City Manager Brian Platt at least $500,000 as part of two confidential agreements signed after Platt left his position. The Kansas City Star reports that documents obtained by the newspaper are the first public disclosure of the amount of the payouts, which were approved in September. The Star acquired the documents through a public records request.
One document contained a confidential settlement agreement offering Platt $192,000 to settle any claims he may have had against the city. Another document details a confidential severance agreement giving the former city manager his full yearly salary of $308,000. Kansas City officials had not disclosed the terms of the financial agreement after Platt's dismissal in March of this year. The payouts were approved in late September.
The Kansas City Council fired Platt as a whistleblower lawsuit revealed Platt had suggested it was acceptable to lie to news organizations. The Star says it is unclear whether the Kansas City Council voted to approve either of the two agreements.
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Kansas Man Killed by Freight Train in Allen County
ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. (KAKE) - A southeast Kansas man was killed this week when he was struck by an oncoming train. KAKE TV reports that Dustin Vanatta, of Humboldt, was found dead beside the railroad tracks in Mildred, in Allen County. An investigation continues, but preliminary information indicates Vanatta got out of his vehicle Tuesday morning, stepped between the rails, and was struck by a Union Pacific freight train.
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Sheriff: 2 Hurt in Kansas Home Explosion
SIMPSON, Kan. (KAKE) - Two people have been hospitalized with severe injuries following a house explosion in a small north-central Kansas town. The Mitchell County Sheriff's Office says the explosion was reported Wednesday morning in the town of Simpson. KAKE TV reports that two adult victims were found with severe injuries. The victims were transported to a local hospital and then flown to other hospitals for higher-level care. Authorities have not identified the injured people. The Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause.
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Steamboat Arabia Museum in KC Set to Close in 2026
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - If you've always wanted to go to the Steamboat Arabia museum in Kansas City but have never been... you'll want to visit soon. After 30 years in the River Market neighborhood, the iconic museum will close its doors next fall. The Kansas City Star reports that the museum curators are hoping to find a new home for the collection. The museum features artifacts from a fully-loaded steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856.
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Tariffs Driving Coffee Prices Crazy High
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (HPM) - Coffee roasters are paying expensive tariffs on almost all the coffee they bring in the door. That’s forcing them to raise prices for customers. The cost of a pound of ground coffee at the grocery store has climbed more than 40% in the past year to an average of $9.14 in September, according to the consumer price index. That’s the most expensive it’s ever been. Prices have been ticking up for several months, as extreme weather has hurt coffee harvests worldwide. But tariffs on coffee-producing countries like Brazil are now pushing the price tag even higher. Find out what these costs mean for coffee shops and coffee drinkers in this report from Harvest Public Media, where we visit a roasting company in Kansas City.
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Kansas Department of Education: Graduation Rate at Highest Level Ever
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas education leaders reported Wednesday that the graduation rate for the class of 2025 is over 90% for the first time. Kansas high school students have until the end of October to earn the credits they need to graduate. The Kansas News Service reports that new numbers from the State Department of Education show that a record 90.5% of students earned a high school diploma. The overall graduation rate has increased by more than four percentage points since 2015. Education Commissioner Randy Watson told Kansas Board of Education members the rate for special-education students, children in poverty and English language learners is rising as well. “You should feel very proud that in all of those categories, including all students, we are at the highest ever in the history of Kansas,” Watson added. State education leaders set a goal of a 95% graduation rate by 2030.
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Report: 30 Kansas Schools Show Higher than Expected Reading Scores for 3rd-Graders
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — A new report highlights more than 30 Kansas schools where third-grade reading scores are much higher than expected, based on the schools’ poverty rates. The Kansas News Service reports that the national nonprofit news outlet “The 74” set out to find school districts that are doing the best job of teaching kids how to read. A new searchable database shows reading scores versus poverty levels for nearly 42,000 U.S. schools, and it highlights exceptional schools in the top 5% of their state in terms of outscoring their expected reading proficiency. Dighton Elementary School in western Kansas is the highest performing school in the state, with 95% of third graders reading proficiently. In Wichita, two schools made the exceptional list: Hyde Elementary and College Hill Elementary. The searchable database is at the74million.org.
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Chiefs Face Broncos with AFC West Title on the Line
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The Kansas City Chiefs have won nine straight AFC West titles, but their chances of extending that streak are on the line this Sunday when the Chiefs play in Denver. The Broncos currently lead the division with an 8-2 record while the Chiefs are in third place with a 5-4 mark. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says the team always sets a goal at the start of the season to win the division as the first step toward a championship. "That's the biggest thing," he said. "I mean, it's a divisional game and they are always important but with them having the lead and us needing to go out there and win, to have a chance to win the division, I think guys understand that." The Broncos’ strength is their defense as they rank 1st in the NFL in quarterback sacks with 46. In comparison, the Chiefs have 20 sacks.
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