KS - February 25 2025

1. Wichita Public Schools $450M Bond Vote is Today
2. Kansas Lawmaker Proposes Prison Labor to Ease Housing Shortage
3. 20 Year Anniversary of Dennis Rader’s Arrest as BTK Killer
4. New Nonstop Flight from Kansas City to Raleigh-Durham
5. Kansas Sees 80-Degree Temperature Swing in Days

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1. Wichita Public Schools $450M Bond Vote is Today

Voters in the Wichita school district will decide on a $450 million bond issue on Tuesday. Supporters say it will address aging infrastructure, safety and accessibility in schools without raising taxes. Opponents say the school district has not shown how past bond measures improved student outcomes. They add that rejecting it would result in a property tax break. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner said because of last week’s winter weather, it’s been hard to predict voter turnout. “We’re just above 5% turnout so far. I’m hoping we’ll get to 15 or 20%,” said Rainwater.

Article Source: KWCH

2. Kansas Lawmaker Proposes Prison Labor to Ease Housing Shortage

A new bill in Topeka proposes legalizing the use of prison labor to build housing. Current Kansas law limits the state’s corrections department – which oversees eight prisons – from establishing programs that allow inmates to learn the trade and manufacture or build houses, wrote Rep. Kyler Sweely in an email to KMUW. The new bill, requested by Sweely, would create an exception. The corrections department could establish a program that delivers prison-made housing units to parts of the state that have experienced little to no building activity despite efforts to encourage development. The state, in partnership with local communities, would determine eligible areas within Kansas. Sweely, a Republican who represents Hutchinson, did not respond to requests for an interview. The bill has not yet received a hearing, which will likely limit its opportunity to advance this legislative session. Kansas, like much of the country, faces a housing shortage. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation estimated in November that rural Kansas needs between 3,800 to 4,800 new units built per year over the next five years. The analysis didn’t include metropolitan areas like Sedgwick, Douglas or Johnson counties – each of which have their own housing needs. The state’s existing laws were written in an attempt to shield private housing manufacturers from competition with prison-made housing, Sweely wrote. This blocked creative solutions for the state’s “housing crisis,” he added. At least some members of Kansas’ construction industry support Sweely’s proposal, including the Associated General Contractors of Kansas. The organization bills itself as the Chamber of Commerce for the Kansas construction industry.

Article Source: KAKE

3. 20 Year Anniversary of Dennis Rader’s Arrest as BTK Killer

A year before Dennis Rader was arrested, the investigation into the BTK killer, who was then believed to have murdered at least 10 people in Wichita and Park City between 1974 and 1991, was considered a cold case. Then, in March 2004, a person claiming responsibility for one of the killings, that of Vicki Wegerle in 1986, began mailing correspondence to Wichita media outlets. Eventually, his messaging went to police, as the person seemingly admitting to being BTK asked if his communication could be traced from a floppy disk. The answer from police was no, but the truth was the opposite. A floppy disk containing identifying information became Dennis Rader’s downfall. He was arrested near his home in Park City on Feb. 25, 2005. In the 20 years since Rader’s arrest, led by then-Wichita police detective Ken Landwehr, attention on BTK and his crimes has only intensified. Rader has been named among the country’s most notorious serial killers, and now he sits, less than two weeks before turning 80, serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.

Article Source: KWCH

4. New Nonstop Flight from Kansas City to Raleigh-Durham

A new nonstop flight to the East Coast is being added to Kansas City International Airport’s itinerary through Delta Airlines. The airport announced a new daily nonstop flight to Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. The flights are scheduled for takeoff May 7, according to the airport’s nonstop destination website.

Article Source: KC Star

5. Kansas Sees 80-Degree Temperature Swing in Days

Kansas has experienced an 80-degree temperature difference in just a few days. On Monday, temperatures statewide topped out in the 60s to 70s. Last Thursday, temperatures in the state fell below zero across several towns and cities. The National Weather Service, which keeps track of records, said on Feb. 20, Wichita fell to -8 degrees. The high on Monday was 78 degrees, which was an 86-degree difference.  

Article Source: KSN

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Sources

1. https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/25/wichita-public-schools-bond-vote-tuesday-weather-impacts-early-voter-turnout/

2. https://www.kake.com/home/kansas-has-a-housing-shortage-one-legislator-is-suggesting-prison-labor-as-a-solution/article_4772eba4-f39e-11ef-962e-175f91d5ae06.html

3. https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/25/this-day-dennis-rader-arrested-more-than-30-years-after-killing-spree-begins/

4. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article300950324.html

5. https://www.ksn.com/news/local/kansas-sees-80-degree-warmup-from-last-week