October 04 2024

1. Washburn University Leads Kansas Enrollment Surge, Sees Record 6.5% Increase
2. Wichita State Foresees a return to pre-2008 in Housing Market, Home Values Expected to Rise
3. Kansas Farm Bill Delays Frustrate Congressional Candidates Ahead of Lame-Duck Session
4. Kansas Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Protect Landowners from Eminent Domain in Energy Corridors
5. Kansas Governor Pushes to Revamp Strict Cash Assistance Program in 2025
Sports

1. Washburn University Leads Kansas Enrollment Surge, Sees Record 6.5% Increase

While several Kansas universities reported enrollment increases for fall 2024, Washburn University saw a record-breaking influx of students. Washburn saw an overall 6.5% enrollment increase and an 8.7% increase to full-time enrollment this school year. Out of the Kansas Board of Regents universities, the University of Kansas had the highest enrollment change with a 5.6% increase from last year. This year, 30,770 students are enrolled at KU and KU Med which is 1,413 more students than last year's 29,355 enrollment number. KU is one of the few universities who have seen a continuous increase enrollment with an overall increase of 9.2% over the last five years. Kansas State University saw a 2.8% enrollment increase and its veterinary medicine school had a 3.6% increase. Between the two, K-State had 20,295 students this year and 19,745 students last year. However, while the university saw an increase of students from last year, over the past five years the university has seen a 6.8% decrease in enrollment. Wichita State University's enrollment went up 0.9% for 2024. However, the increase in enrollment over the past five years has gone up 10.2%, making it the largest long-term enrollment increase. Pittsburg State University saw a 0.7% increase to its overall 2024 enrollment and a 13.1% decrease over the past five years Fort Hays State University's enrollment increased by 0.3% this year and decreased by 19% over the past five years. This is the first in five years the university has seen an enrollment increase. Emporia State University is the only regent school to have a decrease in enrollment for 2024. Its enrollment fell by 2.2% and by 22.5% over the past five years.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

2. Wichita State Foresees a return to pre-2008 in Housing Market, Home Values Expected to Rise

Wichita State University released its latest housing market forecast, which experts describe as a return to the market conditions seen before the 2008 financial crisis, which they call the “old normal.” The report, presented Thursday, predicts a rise in home values by an average of six percent over the next year, keeping it a seller’s market. Dr. Stanley Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate, said this forecast reflects broader trends seen across the state. “The broad theme of the forecast across markets all over the state is something of a return to the old normal,” said Longhofer. “And by that, I mean a place where we haven’t been in maybe 20 years.” Real estate agent Sean Smith of Keller Williams Signature Partners said he’s already seeing a rise in home values. “Over the last year and a half, the number of homes that are for sale has increased, but slowly,” said Smith. “As a result, home values are still increasing.” Despite a slight increase in available properties, Smith pointed out that the housing supply remains low. “We are still in a seller’s market, with less than six months of inventory of homes available,” Smith said. This scarcity continues to drive competition among buyers, even as they face relatively high interest rates compared to the past 15 years.

Article Source: KWCH

3. Kansas Farm Bill Delays Frustrate Congressional Candidates Ahead of Lame-Duck Session

Republican U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and Democratic challenger Paul Buskirk shared frustration Thursday that Congress failed to pass a new five-year Farm Bill despite a reprieve when gridlock blocked progress a year ago. In 2023, President Joe Biden signed a measure extending the 2018 Farm Bill for 12 months. Expiration of that deal Sept. 30 meant Congress would return after the election for a lame-duck session starting Nov. 12 to seek another extension or complete House and Senate work on a new five-year plan for agriculture and nutrition programs. Federal funding for key USDA programs otherwise ends in December. “It’s been very, very frustrating … to say the least,” said Mann, a Salina Republican who serves the 1st District stretching from the Colorado border to Lawrence. “I’ve gone to the floor of the House 33 times now, over the last year and a half, urging Congress to get serious in acting on getting a five-year Farm Bill locked in.” Mann, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, said he supported the version of a Farm Bill passed by that committee in May. It has yet to receive a vote of the full GOP-led House. He said the U.S. Senate offered an outline of a bill, but nothing passed the Senate floor that would be subject to normal negotiations. “We need a fiscally conservative Farm Bill that provides a good return on investment for taxpayer dollars,” Mann said. “I’m optimistic we’re going to get a five-year Farm Bill. It seems to me that there is more momentum and … more of a desire to get something done by the end of the year. I’m not guaranteeing that’s going to happen, but I am more optimistic.”

Article Source: KS Reflector

4. Kansas Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Protect Landowners from Eminent Domain in Energy Corridors

Kansas officials at local, state and national levels are opposing a proposed five-mile-wide energy corridor that could affect landowners across the state. FactFinder began investigating the impacts that energy corridors could create in April, and this has since prompted proposed legislation aimed at protecting generational property. Many counties in Kansas lie along the path of one of the 10 electric transmission corridors proposed in the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) plan. Farmers and landowners have not only expressed concern about the addition of towering power lines but also fear the potential loss of generational family land through eminent domain.

Article Source: KWCH

5. Kansas Governor Pushes to Revamp Strict Cash Assistance Program in 2025

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wants the Legislature to revisit the 2015 policy that placed restrictions on access to the state’s cash assistance program and made Kansas’ program one of the trickiest to access in the country. Kelly said she intends to work with lawmakers in the upcoming 2025 session to “revamp” the Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone, or HOPE, act, which overhauled eligibility requirements for cash assistance. Legislative involvement in regulating Kansas’ cash assistance program has been limited since 2016 when legislators further reduced the maximum amount of time a person can participate in the program in their lifetime in Kansas from three to two years, but recent examination of the act’s downstream effects has shown strain on the foster care system. Officials fear that families are falling through the cracks. Passed during Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, the HOPE Act was touted as a way to address welfare fraud, get people back to work and minimize generational dependency on government benefits. The federal government’s maximum allowance for cash assistance program participation is up to five years in a lifetime. Before the HOPE Act, Kansas’ ceiling was 48 months, but the 2015 legislation reduced it to 36 months, and then 24 months in 2015. Additional requirements were baked into both iterations of the HOPE Act, including limits on the amount of money someone could withdraw from an ATM with their cash assistance card, a ban on participation for repeat drug offenders, restrictions on where cash assistance can be spent and work requirements.

Article Source: KS Reflector

Sports

The Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles in two games during the AL Wildcard playoff and will now face the Yankees on Saturday in the ALDS playoff. In other sports, this weekend the Kansas Jayhawks take on Arizona State, Sporting KC faces LAFC, and the Kansas City Chiefs will meet New Orleans on Monday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder will also begin their preseason on Monday.  

Yankees vs. Royals 2024 ALDS preview  

The New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals will meet in the American League Division Series after KC traveled to Baltimore and dispatched of the Orioles in the wild-card round. The best-of-five series begins Saturday in New York, with the winner advancing to face either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.  

Game times 

Game 1: Royals at Yankees, Saturday, Oct. 5, 6:38 p.m. ET, TBS/Max 

Game 2: Royals at Yankees, Monday, Oct. 7, 7:38 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV/Max 

Game 3: Yankees at Royals, Wednesday, Oct. 9, Time TBD, TBS/truTV/Max 

Game 4: Yankees at Royals, Thursday, Oct. 10, Time TBD, TBS/truTV/Max (if necessary) 

Game 5: Royals at Yankees, Saturday, Oct. 12, Time TBD, TBS/Max (if necessary)

Article Source: NYT

Sources

1. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/education/2024/10/04/washburn-university-leads-kansas-colleges-in-enrollment-jumps-at-6-5/75476100007/

2. https://www.kwch.com/2024/10/04/wichita-state-forecasts-return-pre-crisis-housing-market/

3. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/03/kansas-1st-district-candidates-tracey-mann-paul-buskirk-plow-into-farm-bill-middle-east-conflict/

4. https://www.kwch.com/2024/10/04/kansas-lawmakers-introducing-legislation-protect-landowners-eminent-domain/

5. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/04/kansas-governor-keen-to-revamp-cash-assistance-program-in-2025/

6. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5814867/2024/10/03/yankees-royals-2024-alds-preview-predictions/?source=user_shared_article