August 05 2024

FLASH KS Primary election tomorrow
1 One Year After Marion County Newspaper Raid, Aftershocks Linger
2 US Farmland Values Hit New Highs Despite Falling Crop Prices
3 Kansas Farmers Push Back Against Proposed Energy Corridor
4 New Documentary Explores Life of Kansas Custom Harvesters
5 Kansas Highway Patrol Spots UFO
Sports

FLASH KS Primary election tomorrow

1 One Year After Marion County Newspaper Raid, Aftershocks Linger

Local journalist Phyllis Zorn continues to face personal and professional challenges, while the magistrate who approved the raid escapes discipline.

Since the raid on the Marion County Record newspaper a year ago, Phyllis Zorn spends more time alone at home, etching glass to calm her nerves. She suffers life-threatening seizures that were at one point under control but have grown more painful and frequent since. As a local journalist in town covering legal affairs for about a decade, she says the fallout from the raid has thrown “monkey wrenches” into her ability to cover the community. When the sheriff sees her, he turns away. All these setbacks have only heightened the feeling that she’d “love the satisfaction” of seeing criminal charges filed against the people responsible for villainizing journalists — and vilifying her in particular. But she doesn’t think it’s likely.

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The magistrate who authorized last year’s police raid on the Marion County Record escaped discipline from a state panel by making claims that contradict statements in federal lawsuits about how the search warrants arrived in front of her and whether the police chief swore they were true before she signed them. Magistrate Judge Laura Viar’s secret explanation, obtained by Kansas Reflector, adds a new layer of confusion and mystery to how law enforcement were able to carry out the search and seizure of journalists’ computers and cellphones without regard for state and federal laws that prohibit such police action. It also raises concerns about the low standards set for judges by the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2 US Farmland Values Hit New Highs Despite Falling Crop Prices

USDA reports a 5% increase in farmland values, reaching an average of $4,170 per acre, despite expectations of a drop due to lower crop prices.

American farmland values keep going up, despite expectations that tumbling crop prices and elevated interest rates will pressure agriculture investments. A price measurement of all land and buildings on US farms gained 5% from a year ago to an average of $4,170 per acre, the US Department of Agriculture said Friday in a report. While that’s the fourth straight year of gains, it’s also the smallest increase since 2021. Gains in land values came even as the agency expected net farm income this year to drop by the most since 2006. Farmers are reaping big grain harvests that have brought down crop prices and hit sales for farm machinery.

Article Source: Bloomberg

3 Kansas Farmers Push Back Against Proposed Energy Corridor

Concerns rise over federal eminent domain as a proposed national electric transmission corridor threatens land in Russell County. Meanwhile, growing use of electric vehicles in Kansas sparks fire safety discussions.

A proposed energy corridor up to five miles wide involves making room for massive power lines throughout the nation. At least one of the so-called electric transmission corridors would cut through part of Kansas. It’s a situation raising concerns from landowners that the federal government could take their land through eminent domain. That’s why they called FactFinder investigator Branden Stitt. In Russell County, some farmers say they’re ready to fight. The proposed national electric transmission corridor, one of 10 in the U.S. would run through land in Russell County as part of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor Designation Process. Although there are few details as to how the paths were chosen, both proposed corridors impacting Kansas run through areas with many wind turbines. In Russell County, farmers say their land is not for sale.
KWCH

Electric vehicles account for about 8% of new car sales in Kansas.

Driving around Wichita, you’ll see the occasional Tesla, electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup or even one of the city’s battery-powered buses quietly cruising around town. With more electric vehicles have come more worries about what happens if they catch fire. They burn much hotter, emit noxious gases and pose an electrocution risk. But the idea that EVs catch fire more often than gas-powered vehicles is a myth. 

EV fires burn extremely hot but are rare compared to gas-powered vehicles.   The Wichita Fire Department states it is ready to handle EV fires, despite their unique challenges.
Beacon

Article Source: KWCH, Beacon

4 New Documentary Explores Life of Kansas Custom Harvesters

"Life On The Harvest Run" showcases the challenges faced by two Kansas custom harvesting families during the summer season.

Every year, custom harvesters travel the country to cut wheat and other crops for farmers who don’t have the equipment or manpower to do it themselves. In the documentary "Life On The Harvest Run," Tiger Media Network's 2024 summer interns explore the lives of two custom harvesting families from Kansas — the Beforts from Hays and the Froeses from Inman — and the challenges they face each summer.

Article Source: Fort Hays St

5 Kansas Highway Patrol Spots UFO

Trooper in Ellsworth County reports an unusual encounter with a "UFO" on I-70 that adhered to Kansas traffic laws.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an out of this world vehicle traveling down Interstate 70 Saturday. According to a social media report from Trooper Ben Gardner, "While patrolling in Ellsworth County, our very own Lieutenant Brown made a rather unusual observation. During a routine traffic stop, he noticed an unidentified object passing by his stopped patrol car on I-70 eastbound. Intrigued, he rewound his in-car camera footage and discovered what appeared to be a UFO flying saucer." "What’s even more noteworthy is that this “UFO” slowed down and moved over, adhering to Kansas law by giving space to our law enforcement officers on the side of the highway." "Apparently, the move over law is not just here on planet Earth, but in other solar systems far away as well."

Article Source: Salina Post

Sports

Royals go 3-1 v Detroit

Tonight
Royals v Red Sox

Sources

2. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/05/one-year-after-chilling-police-raid-on-kansas-newspaper-aftershocks-linger-in-marion/; https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/04/judge-who-authorized-kansas-newspaper-raid-escapes-discipline-with-secret-conflicting-explanation/

3. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-02/us-farmland-values-hit-new-highs-despite-tumbling-grain-prices

4. https://www.kwch.com/2024/08/02/eminent-domain-proposed-energy-corridor-raising-concerns-kansas-farmers/?tbref=hp; https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/08/05/electric-vehicle-fire-risk/

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGvxUgrFuzA

6. https://salinapost.com/posts/83e5d33c-7579-4d53-8ee4-3e532637b813