News

A new certificate program at Kansas State University will prepare students to support rural economic development by showcasing the heartbeat of the heartland — agriculture — to tourists and visitors. K-State’s College of Health and Human Sciences and College of Agriculture have partnered to offer a 15-credit-hour agritourism certificate for students interested in bringing communities to farms and ranches for recreational, educational, or retail purposes — a growing field known as agritourism.

Last week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran voiced strong support on the Senate floor for fellow Kansan Michelle “Miki” Bowman, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve for Supervision.

More than $33 million in federal health care and mental health service grants have been terminated, forcing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to eliminate 56 positions in critical public health roles. This marks the first large-scale state employment dismissal resulting from the federal administration’s decision to halt congressionally authorized funds — a move that began in March.

Last week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture hearing regarding the agency’s 2026 budget request.

The community of Caldwell brought the Old West roaring back to life last weekend with its annual Chisholm Trail Festival, featuring an authentic longhorn cattle drive, sing-along live music, dancing girls, a street-side gunfight, and for many, a first look at the brand-new Turtle Trail in the heart of downtown. For the second year in a row, trail boss Sam Wylie and his horse Medicine Crow led a herd of spirited longhorns on a five-mile trek from Oklahoma straight through downtown Caldwell.

Local leaders from Kanokla, Kay Electric, Sumner-Cowley Electric Cooperative, and Wheatland Electric converged in Washington, D.C., last week. While the gathering wasn’t planned, it turned into a happy coincidence, as each organization was on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of rural Americans.

On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly sent a letter to the Kansas Congressional Delegation, urging them to protect Kansans from looming federal Medicaid cuts that threaten access to quality, affordable health care for the state’s most vulnerable residents. Under the latest proposal in Congress, Kansas could lose up to $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding within the first year alone.