KS - January 28 2025

1. Western Kansas Aquifer Drops 1.5 Feet in 2024
2. Kansas Ag Groups Seek $5M Tax Credit for E15 Fuel Expansion
3. Boeing Reports $3.8B Fourth-Quarter Loss
4. Kansas Court Weighs Trans Driver's License Gender Case
5. Chiefs-Bills Sets AFC Championship Ratings Record with 57.7M Viewers

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1. Western Kansas Aquifer Drops 1.5 Feet in 2024

Aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday.  The Kansas Geological Survey earlier this month completed its annual campaign to measure the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies the western one-third of the state with water. The Ogallala, the largest underground store of freshwater in the nation, has been declining for decades because of overuse to irrigate crops in otherwise arid parts of the state.  According to preliminary data presented to the Kansas House Water Committee, aquifer levels in the groundwater management area covering southwest Kansas fell by 1.52 feet between January 2024 and this month, a larger drop than the 1.43-foot decline the year before.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2. Kansas Ag Groups Seek $5M Tax Credit for E15 Fuel Expansion

A coalition of agriculture and energy companies requested the Kansas House approve a $5 million annual state tax credit to incentivize reluctant gas station operators to expand distribution of E15 fuel made with homegrown corn or sorghum. Consumers commonly purchase E10 — a fuel with 10% ethanol — for use in cars and trucks, but champions of the income tax break for alternative fuel retailers said it could lead to better prices paid to sorghum and corn farmers, benefit consumers by expanding availability of lower-cost, higher-blends of fuel and provide trickle-down economic gains across the rural economy. Rep. Ken Rahjes, an Agra Republican with the Phillipsburg ethanol plant in his district, asked the House Taxation Committee to consider the “fiscally responsible” state income tax incentive of 5 cents on every gallon of E15 sold by retailers in 2026 to 2031. The initiative could convince fuel station owners to make infrastructure investments in underground tanks and other equipment necessary to market E15, he said.

Article Source: KS Reflector

3. Boeing Reports $3.8B Fourth-Quarter Loss

Boeing reported losses of $3.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. That’s according to a new earnings report listed on Tuesday morning. Boeing predicted the losses, citing last fall’s strike and recent job cuts. The company shipped fewer jets in 2024 and has now lost $35 billion since 2019. Meanwhile, Boeing’s acquisition of Wichita’s Spirit AeroSystems is expected to be finalized later this year.

Article Source: KWCH

4. Kansas Court Weighs Trans Driver's License Gender Case

In a case that pits Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's administration, Kansas appellate judges are weighing in on the issue of gender marker changes on drivers licenses for transgender people. The Kansas Court of Appeals on Monday in Topeka heard oral arguments over a law passed in 2023 that strictly defines sex based on reproductive anatomy at birth. That law, known as Senate Bill 180 and dubbed by supporters as the "women's bill of rights," was enacted by the Republican supermajorities in the Kansas Legislature by overriding Kelly's veto. Kobach interpreted the law to ban gender marker changes on drivers licenses. But the Kansas Department of Revenue, which is part of the Kelly administration, does not believe that the law applies to drivers licenses. The appellate court is being asked by the Kelly administration to overturn a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson that sided with Kobach's position on the law. Watson in March issued a temporary injunction against the Revenue Department. Meanwhile, the court is also considering a separate appeal from the same case where the ACLU argues Kobach's position violates the constitutional rights of transgender people.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

5. Chiefs-Bills Sets AFC Championship Ratings Record with 57.7M Viewers

Sunday’s clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was the most-watched AFC Championship Game on record and averaged 57.7 million viewers, according to a TV industry source. The game, which aired on CBS, saw the Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 to return to the Super Bowl in their quest for a three-peat. It also topped ratings for the NFC Conference Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, which drew an average of 44.2 million viewers, per the source. Excluding Super Bowls, the Chiefs-Bills game ranks as the second most-watched NFL game ever (for records starting in 1988), behind only the 2009-10 NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints. That game averaged 57.9 million viewers as fans witnessed New Orleans win its first-ever conference championship in overtime against Minnesota and soon-to-be-retired quarterback Brett Favre. The Saints went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.

Article Source: NYT

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Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/28/ogallala-aquifer-drops-by-more-than-a-foot-in-parts-of-western-kansas/

2. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/28/kansas-corn-sorghum-farmers-and-ethanol-refiners-want-5-million-tax-break-to-aid-e15-sales/

3. https://www.kwch.com/2025/01/28/boeing-reports-nearly-4-billion-losses/

4. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/courts/2025/01/28/could-kansas-court-reverse-temporary-block-on-gender-marker-changes/77970500007/

5. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6094872/2025/01/28/bills-chiefs-tv-ratings-afc-championship-cbs/