September 16 2024

1 Suspicious Packages Sent to Kansas Secretary of State and Attorney General Offices Prompt Evacuation
2 Audit Exposes Worsening Kansas Foster Care Conditions
3 University of Kansas Secures $26 Million NSF Grant for Sustainable Refrigerant Research
4 Russia Profits from Stolen Ukrainian Grain Amid War
5 China's Shrinking Grain Demand Weighs on Prices
Sports

1 Suspicious Packages Sent to Kansas Secretary of State and Attorney General Offices Prompt Evacuation

Authorities on Monday evacuated a building in downtown Topeka after separate suspicious packages were delivered to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office and Attorney General’s Office. One package resembles similar suspicious packages that were sent to election offices in other states, where officials said they contained harmless white powder. But a spokeswoman for the Kansas Highway Patrol said the FBI was called to retrieve a larger package that was sent to the Attorney General’s Office. Authorities said they weren’t sure if the same person sent both packages. The two packages were received about a half-hour apart at Memorial Hall, a building adjacent to the Capitol that houses both the secretary of state and attorney general offices. Election offices in Iowa, Nebraska. Oklahoma and Wyoming also received suspicious packages on Monday.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2 Audit Exposes Worsening Kansas Foster Care Conditions

Kansas foster children are not getting proper mental health treatment, they’re moved between too many homes and caseworkers carry excessive workloads, a report released Monday auditing the state’s foster care system says.  The court-mandated report paints a bleak picture of Kansas foster care system — a system that is not only showing no improvement in key areas, but getting even worse.  “Children in the foster system are being let down at every turn and left to fend for themselves in a broken system,” a press release from Kansas Appleseed said.  Kansas Appleseed, National Center for Youth Law and Children’s Rights all sued Kansas over poor treatment of foster kids in 2018. In July 2020, the groups and the state’s child welfare system reached a court-mandated agreement to improve outcomes for children. Failing to make progress could land the case back in court.  The foster care audit released Monday is the third report on changes the state has made or failed to make. It tracks data in 2023.

Article Source: Kansas Beacon

3 University of Kansas Secures $26 Million NSF Grant for Sustainable Refrigerant Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Kansas $26 million to establish a new Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) — Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) — that will create a sustainable and circular refrigerant economy. NSF’s Engineering Research Centers bring universities and businesses together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace.

Article Source: KU

4 Russia Profits from Stolen Ukrainian Grain Amid War

Beyond the bombs and gunfire of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a parallel economic war is raging. Its front line is on occupied Ukrainian farmlands, from which Russia and its partners have sold almost $1 billion in stolen grain on a burgeoning black market.  Moscow’s forces in Ukraine since 2022 have occupied some of Europe’s most fertile farmland. The occupiers have either seized harvests or bought them cheaply, often forcibly. The business involves a wide network of clients who benefit from Moscow’s wartime patronage system, including a Russian shipyard equipping the invasion, a company affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a Crimean businessman who trades with Syria and Israel. Another company sells through the United Arab Emirates.

Article Source: WSJ

5 China's Shrinking Grain Demand Weighs on Prices

Warehouses across China are bulging with grain as a deepening economic crisis takes hold, leaving the world’s farmers to grapple with the prospect of a long-lasting slowdown gripping one of their largest customers. The strain across global markets is already showing. French barley exports to China have been tumbling and the US has yet to sell a full corn cargo for the new season. Wheat farmers in Australia are likely to be nervous as they prepare to start harvesting their new crop over the coming weeks. None of this will change soon, and the combination of an aging population and a cooling economy augurs poorly for the future. Traders and farmers will need to start adjusting to a very different demand outlook. Even if food security concerns keep imports robust for years to come, the meteoritic growth seen through the past two decades is likely over.

Article Source: Bloomberg

Sports

Kansas State Jumps to #13 in AP Poll


Kansas State climbed one spot to #13 in the latest AP poll after a dominant 31-7 victory over Arizona. 

Chiefs Edge Bengals with Last-Minute Kick


The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-25 thanks to a clutch last-minute field goal. 

Sporting KC Falls to Seattle 2-0


Sporting Kansas City struggled on the road, losing 2-0 to the Seattle Sounders. 

Royals Take Series Over Pirates, Begin Detroit Matchup Tonight


The Kansas City Royals won their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1. They kick off a new series against the Detroit Tigers tonight.  

KU loses 20-23 to UNLV in KC  

By Clark Goble  

The offensive struggles continued for KU football on Friday night as the Jayhawks lost to UNLV 23-20 in Kansas City, Kan. The offense scored on its first drive but couldn’t sustain the momentum. UNLV had a nine-minute fourth quarter drive to score the go-ahead touchdown, and Jalon Daniels couldn’t get the Jayhawks into field goal range to potentially tie the game. The Big 12 race starts for Kansas next weekend at West Virginia.

Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/09/16/kansas-secretary-of-states-office-evacuated-after-receiving-suspicious-mail/

2. https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/16/kansas-foster-care-audit-shows-state-is-failing-to-help-children/

3. https://news.ku.edu/news/article/university-of-kansas-awarded-26-million-for-new-engineering-research-center-from-national-science-foundation

4. https://www.wsj.com/world/how-russia-profits-from-ukraine-invasion-by-selling-stolen-grain-on-a-global-black-market-60cca0a4?st=ptKnLi&reflink=article_copyURL_share

5. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-16/china-s-fading-hunger-for-grain-spells-trouble-for-world-farmers?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202024-09-16%20Agriculture%20Dive%20%5Bissue:65896%5D&utm_term=Agriculture%20Dive&embedded-checkout=true