October 15 2024

FLASH…KS VOTING REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY…
1. Beacon Closes Wichita Newsroom After Only 3 Years
2. Wichita Police Expand Gunshot Detectors
3. KBI, KHP Consider New $134M Joint Law Enforcement HQ
4. Boeing Plans 17,000 (White-collar) Job Cuts Amid Deepening Losses
5. USDA Predicts Record Corn, Soybean Harvests, Depressed Prices

FLASH…KS VOTING REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY…

The deadline to register to vote in Kansas is today, October 15th. At this point, it's likely too late to register by mail or in person. The only remaining option is to register online, which requires a Kansas ID.  

1. Beacon Closes Wichita Newsroom After Only 3 Years

A. Beacon closes Wichita newsroom

What is the Beacon?  

The Beacon is a nonprofit news organization aiming to improve civic life by keeping the public informed and engaged. We’re creating a network of digital newsrooms across Kansas and Missouri to tackle the local news crisis, ensuring everyone has access to the critical information they need. Driven by community input and thorough research, our journalism dives deep into local issues that are often ignored by mainstream media. Our Community Journalism Lab helps us listen and respond to the community, spotlighting crucial yet underreported topics.  

we’ve realized that we can’t do it all, and have made the decision to no longer have a staffed newsroom in Wichita.   

B. State of American local news  

From our nation’s earliest days until recently, our democracy at the grassroots level has been held together by a vast network of local newspapers that helped residents in those small towns not only connect with their neighbors and others in their region but also public officials in their state and nation’s capital. By the early 1900s, there were an estimated 24,000 weekly and daily newspapers in the country, with almost half of the papers located in counties west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 20th century, that number eroded, sometimes slowly, but at an accelerated pace over the past two decades. Newspapers are continuing to vanish at an average rate of more than two a week. Since 2005, the country has lost almost 2,900 newspapers, including more than 130 confirmed closings or mergers over the past year. All but about 100 were weeklies, which are often the sole provider of local news in small and mid-sized communities. There are currently only 6,000 newspapers in the country, approximately 1,200 dailies and 4,790 weeklies.

Article Source: Kansas Beacon, Northwestern

2. Wichita Police Expand Gunshot Detectors

New information from the Wichita Police Department shows that most gunshots in some areas go unreported. That’s why the department is requesting to expand its Flock surveillance system and devices known as “gunshot detectors.” Gunshot detection devices are installed in areas of central and south Wichita. The detectors directly notify officers of gunshots fired nearby. The WPD is hoping to install more across the city. “We know people want us to respond and we can’t respond unless we know what’s happening,” WPD Captain Aaron Moses summarized. Moses said the gunshot detection devices work on “triangulation.” So, three separate sensors have to detect the gunshots. If they do, a five-second recording of those gunshots is provided to officers in the area. And it identifies a GPS location of where those gunshots are believed to have come from,” he explained. The placement of the gunshot detectors is based on hot-spot data related to gun crimes.

Article Source: KWCH

3. KBI, KHP Consider New $134M Joint Law Enforcement HQ

Two of state government's largest law enforcement agencies confirmed they are in the early stages of potentially building a new joint headquarters building and vacating their current facilities in the capital city. Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol officials told lawmakers last week that both agencies are considering future headquarters needs and may ask the Legislature for funding next session to build new. If they pursue a joint facility, the ask may in the ballpark of $134 million.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

4. Boeing Plans 17,000 (White-collar) Job Cuts Amid Deepening Losses

A. Layoffs  

Boeing will cut about 17,000 jobs and delay the first delivery of its 777X jet as the plane maker confronts deepening losses and the effects of a weekslong strike by its largest labour union. Chief executive Kelly Ortberg announced the cuts, equivalent to 10 per cent of its workforce, in a message to staff on Friday. “Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,” he said.   

B. White-collar cuts  

The major Boeing layoffs announced last week will all be involuntary, meaning the company won’t offer severance packages to encourage employees to exit. And according to the “Reduction In Force” plan presented to Boeing Commercial Airplanes managers Monday, members of the Machinists union will, for now, not be among the 10% of Boeing workers laid off. That implies heavy cuts among white-collar staff, including engineers, and nonunion salaried employees at all levels up to vice presidents.

Article Source: FT, Wichita Eagle

5. USDA Predicts Record Corn, Soybean Harvests, Depressed Prices

Corn and soybean farmers remain on track to harvest record yields, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week, reaffirming financial difficulties for producers as an oversupply depresses global prices. Corn production is forecast at 15.2 billion bushels, according to USDA’s latest estimates, up 17 million from last month. Soybean production is forecast at 4.6 billion bushels, down 4 million on lower yields. If realized, the numbers would represent the largest soybean crop and the second-biggest corn crop in history, according to USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer.

Article Source: Agriculture Dive

Sources

1. https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg

2. A https://thebeaconnews.org/about-us/
B https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/10/14/a-message-to-our-readers-the-beacons-evolving-presence-in-wichita/
C https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2023/

3. https://www.kwch.com/2024/10/15/wichita-police-requesting-expand-flock-system-gunshot-detectors/

4. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2024/10/15/kbi-and-khp-could-ask-kansas-to-build-new-joint-law-enforcement-hq/75611919007/

5. A https://on.ft.com/4eE0bvb
B https://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article293977719.html

6. https://www.agriculturedive.com/news/corn-soybean-record-harvest-price-decline-commodities/729747/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202024-10-14%20Agriculture%20Dive%20%5Bissue:66807%5D&utm_term=Agriculture%20Dive