August 14 2024

1 Former Marion Police Chief Charged with Felony After Newspaper Raid
2 USDA Forecasts Record Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Yields in 2024
3 Kansas State Board of Education Launches Task Force on Phone Use in Schools
4 Johnson County Schools See Minimal Impact from First Year of Open Enrollment Law
5 Kansas School Districts Face Bus Driver Shortages
Kansas City Royals Struggle in Back-to-Back Losses Against the Minnesota Twins

1 Former Marion Police Chief Charged with Felony After Newspaper Raid

A special prosecutor in court documents filed Tuesday says former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody “induced a witness to withhold information” in the days after Cody led a raid on a newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman. Special prosecutor Barry Wilkerson, of Riley County, charged Cody with interference with judicial process, a low-level felony, in Marion County District Court. If convicted, the presumed sentence would be probation.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2 USDA Forecasts Record Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Yields in 2024

USDA’s Crop Production Report and August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, published on August 12, confirms that we have very large crops in American fields, with corn, soybeans and other spring wheat projected to have record and above-trend yields in 2024. The August reports are the first of the year to estimate yields for corn and soybeans based on farmer surveys and satellite imagery. Additionally, planted and harvested acreage estimates were updated to incorporate certified acreage from the Farm Service Agency.

Corn yield is projected to be a record 183.1 bushels per acre nationally, up 5.8 bushels (+3.3%) from last year’s record yield and 2.1 bushels above trendline estimates. Despite this increase in yields above industry estimates, a further decrease in planted acreage to 90.7 million acres (-0.9%). pushed overall production projections downward. New crop corn production is now estimated at 15.15 billion bushels, which if realized would be the third-largest U.S. corn crop on record.

Soybean production is projected to be a record 4.59 billion bushels, a 10.2% increase over 2023 and a 3.5% increase over last month’s projections. The month-over-month projection increase is due to both an increase in yield, up to a record 53.2 bushels per acre (+2.3%), and an additional million planted acres.

Winter wheat production is up 1.5% from July projections, reaching 1.36 billion bushels, all due to yields rising to 53.2 bushels per acre. Despite planted winter wheat acres being down 8.8% from 2023, harvested acres are up 3.7% and total production is up 9.1% year-over-year.

Twenty twenty-four is a year of big crops, with production estimates for corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat all higher than 2023. Larger crops are weighing on already low commodity prices, with prices for corn and soybeans returning to 2020 levels.

Article Source: Farm Bureau

3 Kansas State Board of Education Launches Task Force on Phone Use in Schools

The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday unveiled the appointments to a 36-member task force charged with creating guidance for addressing the nonacademic use of phones in public school classrooms. The panel is expected to meet six times, studying three topic areas with two meetings dedicated to each subject. The topic areas cover personal devices in schools, parent oversight of district devices as well as mental health and screen time. The commission is set to start meeting on Aug. 22 with a goal of wrapping up by mid-November.

Article Source: Sunflower State Journal

4 Johnson County Schools See Minimal Impact from First Year of Open Enrollment Law

Johnson County school districts like Olathe and Blue Valley saw themselves as elite, offering a high-end public education families would jump at if only they could afford the housing prices. So they worried an open enrollment law would overwhelm them with students whose families suddenly didn’t have to worry about the cost of moving into the district. But during the first year that Kansas required school districts to open their doors to children from outside their boundaries, the expected flood of applications looks more like a trickle. Olathe, Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission accepted a few dozen applicants each — a drop in the bucket compared to their overall enrollments between 20,000 and 30,000.

Article Source: Kansas Beacon

5 Kansas School Districts Face Bus Driver Shortages

The arrival of a new school year for districts across Kansas brings a big challenge for some: bus driver shortages. Among the districts working to tackle this challenge is Moundridge. “When you mix together in-town routes, rural routes and activities and when these kids are highly involved, it makes it extremely difficult, especially with the number of CLD drivers lowering,” said Moundridge Superintendent of Schools Cody Rierson. The shortage is prompting creative strategies. “We try to counteract that by getting minibuses that can seat up to 14 students,” Rierson said. The smaller buses don’t require a CDL license.

Article Source: KWCH

Kansas City Royals Struggle in Back-to-Back Losses Against the Minnesota Twins

Minneapolis, MN – The Kansas City Royals faced a tough series on the road against the Minnesota Twins, suffering defeats on both August 12th and 13th.

On August 12th, the Royals took an early lead thanks to a solo home run by Bobby Witt Jr. in the first inning. However, the Twins quickly responded with a barrage of hits, including home runs by Willi Castro and Royce Lewis, propelling Minnesota to an 8-3 victory. Despite a strong start from Brady Singer, the Royals' bullpen was unable to contain the Twins' offense, which took control in the later innings.

The following night, the Royals were once again overpowered, falling 13-3 to the Twins. Minnesota’s offense exploded, with Zebby Matthews delivering a standout performance on the mound. The Royals' pitching staff struggled to find answers, as the Twins capitalized on nearly every opportunity to extend their lead.

Looking ahead, the Royals will try to bounce back as they conclude their series against the Twins on August 14th, with Cole Ragans set to pitch. Following this, they will head to Cincinnati for a series against the Reds starting on August 16th.

Royals at a Glance:
* Record: 65-54
* AL Central Standings: 3rd place
* Upcoming Games: August 14 @ Twins, August 16-17 @ Reds

The Royals will need to regroup quickly to avoid further slippage in the standings as the season progresses.

Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/13/former-marion-police-chief-charged-with-witness-interference-after-raid-on-kansas-newspaper/

2. https://www.fb.org/market-intel/august-wasde-crop-production-reports-buoy-expectations-for-large-crops

3. https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/appointments-to-ksdes-screen-time-task-force-unveiled/

4. https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/08/13/johnson-county-open-enrollment/

5. https://www.kwch.com/2024/08/13/kansas-districts-facing-bus-driver-shortages-school-year-begins/