UPDATE: Shelter-In-Place Order Lifted in Goodland; Suspect in Custody
SHERMAN COUNTY, Kan. (Hays Post) — Streets are back open and a suspect is in custody following an overnight incident in Goodland. No injuries are reported to the suspect or officers. The Hays Post reports that police released no additional details on what prompted the earlier shelter-in-place order. THere's also been no word on the name of the suspect or possible charges.
(Earlier reporting...)
DEVELOPING STORY: Police Surround Home in Goodland
GOODLAND, Kan. (Hays Post) — Authorities surrounded a house in Goodland Monday morning, telling nearby residents to shelter in place and stay away from windows. Goodland police called in the Kansas Highway Patrol's Special Response Team late Sunday to help arrest a suspect who has now been contained to one home. Police say the shelter-in-place order will remain in effect until the suspect is taken into custody. The Hays Post reports that the crime for which the suspect is wanted has not been disclosed and no further information has been released.
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Arctic Weather Invades Eastern Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Colder weather has invaded eastern Kansas, making this week feel a lot more like winter than last week. Sunny skies are expected Monday, but high temps will only climb to 28 degrees or so and the wind chill index will range from zero to 10 degrees. Warmer weather is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs between 45 and 50 degrees.
Get the latest weather from the National Weather Service.
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While Questions Remain About Future of Royals; Union Station Calls for Downtown Ballpark
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have announced plans to move to Kansas, sports fans are wondering what will happed to the Royals. The same tax incentive package that lured the Chiefs to Kansas is also available to the Royals, but the Kansas offer is set to expire this week and so far... state lawmakers in Kansas have not received a proposal from the ball club.
In a social media post over the weekend, the Union Station account on X came out in favor of a downtown ballpark. Union Station was glowing blue when the post was made late Saturday night. The post said it's time to welcome downtown baseball home - once again, where the story of baseball in Kansas City first began. So far, the Royals have remained tight-lipped on their future plans.
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Authorities Investigate Apparent Kidnapping in North Central Kansas
MITCHELL COUNTY, Kan. (Hays Post) — Law enforcement officers in Mitchell County are investigating a suspected kidnapping case. A suspect is in custody following a high speed chase in north-central Kansas. The alleged kidnapping victim was injured but managed to escape. The Hays Post reports that a stolen car and its driver were involved in a kidnapping incident Friday on U.S. Highway 24 west of Beloit in Mitchell County. The sheriff's office says the victim escaped but was hospitalized with serious injuries. Authorities say the suspect and a stolen Mustang left the scene and were later pursued in Osborne County. The suspect is believed to have been involved in an incident in Jewell County prior to the Mitchell County incident. The Highway Patrol and Osborne County officials took the suspect into custody but few details have been released, including the name of the suspect and the name of the alleged kidnapping victim.
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Kansas Gov Seeks Dedicated Funding Source for State Water Programs
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — In her final year in office, Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she wants to find a sustainable, dedicated funding source for state water programs. Agricultural and environmental factors are rapidly draining the state’s water reserves. Scientists worry about the availability of water for drinking and irrigation in the not-too-distant future. In a recent interview, Kelly said her top policy priority in 2026 is bolstering the state’s existing water plan for the future. "Getting a water plan in place that would make a difference and sustain both the quality and quantity of water for Kansas... knowing that I was able to get that done would make me feel very good about leaving office," she said. A water task force convened in 2025 will make preliminary recommendations to the Legislature in January. The 2026 session begins on January 12th.
(-Related-)
Kansas Gov Advises Democrats to Focus on Affordability Issues
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — While Governor Laura Kelly was chair of the national Democratic Governors Association, Democrats won key races in New Jersey and Virginia in the 2025 elections. Now, Kelly is focused on helping her party win statewide and legislative races in Kansas during her last year in office. In a recent interview, Kelly said candidates should follow Democrats in other states and focus on issues like inflation and affordability. “The cost of groceries, the cost of housing, the cost of child care. Those are the kinds of things that people think about day in and day out," she said. Democrats are hoping to keep hold of the governor’s office and break Republican supermajorities in the Kansas House and Senate.
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Kansas Drought Report Yields Best Results in 4 Years
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — The National Drought Mitigation Center says Kansas drought conditions for 2025 are the best they’ve been in four years. Recent data revealed Northeast Kansas is the driest region in the state. Matthew Sittel (SIT-UL) is the Assistant State Climatologist for Kansas. He says this year’s good report card does not mean things will improve in 2026. "Well, I expect drought conditions will still be persisting, but I don't expect them to be critical D3, D4 level at that point," he said. South Central Kansas received the most amount of rain in 2025 - the fifth highest amount in the 131 years of recorded climate data.
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KPR Offers Listeners A Very Merry Prairie Journal
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Have you heard this year's KPR holiday variety show? Every year, KPR's Kaye McIntyre, the host of Prairie Journal (formerly KPR Presents), produces a holiday version of her weekly public affairs show. It's basically a KPR talent show featuring music, poetry and short holiday stories. Many of the staffers at the radio station play musical instruments - indeed, some are professional musicians - and they put that talent to good use during this yuletide tradition. Check it out.
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Bonner Springs Offering Tax Incentives for Mattel Theme Park
BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (KNS) — A northeast Kansas community is offering more than $200 million of tax incentives to build a toy company’s theme park in Wyandotte County. A public finance expert says those types of tax breaks are piling up for the state. The tax subsidy will help develop the $540 million Mattel Adventure Park in Bonner Springs. It will include attractions featuring toys like Barbie. The public funds mostly come from STAR Bonds, which are paid off by sales tax revenue generated by the project. University of Kansas Associate Professor Zach Mohr is an expert on public budgeting and finance. He says the park may lead to more toy purchases and sales tax revenue. But the state is already on the hook for several STAR bond projects, like the planned stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs. “These projects are committing the state to lots and lots of money," he said. State officials have argued that STAR bonds create new tax revenue to fund the projects and do not use existing dollars.
The theme park will be built near an entertainment district in Kansas City, Kansas. That area already features shopping and sports venues, and it will be the new home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Bonner Springs pledged about $220 million of the half-billion-dollar project. Bonner Springs Mayor Tom Stephens says he expects the project to nearly double the city’s taxable property value. Construction of the adventure park is slated to begin in 2027 and the park is expected to open in 2031. That's the same year the new Chiefs stadium is set to open. (Read more about the Mattel Adventure Park.)
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KC Area Shelter Dogs Get Hamburgers for Christmas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — For the 10th year in a row, a man has delivered hundreds of hamburgers for the holidays to a Kansas City area pet shelter. KCTV reports that Scott Poore delivered 200 plain McDonald's burgers to the KC Pet Project's Swope Park location on Christmas Eve. KC Pet Project has waived adoption fees through the end of the year to give these dogs a chance to find their forever homes by the New Year.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).