Railroad lawsuit. Rate hike. Nutrients in rivers. "Secret" success. ICE arrests. Voter challenges.

By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief

TOPEKA — Attorneys accusing Union Pacific and Kansas and Oklahoma railroads of anticompetitive business tactics say their case has far-reaching consequences for farmers who are being forced to pay higher prices to transport their products.

Tom Ajamie and Courtney Scobie, attorneys for Ajamie LLP, filed a case in January saying the two railroads are attempting to “stifle competition.” Court filings accuse the railroads of charging high fees for farmers that switched to using a shorter rail transportation route from western Kansas and eastern Colorado to the western United States.

Their clients are Weskan Grain and its dedicated rail line, Colorado Pacific Railroad, as well as Kansas and Colorado farmers affected by higher costs Union Pacific and Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad have caused for moving grain to the western United States, Ajamie said.

TOPEKA — Kansas Empire District Electric Co. residential customers will see their average bills increase by nearly $28 a month over the next two years after state utility regulators reluctantly approved $8.775 million in base rate increases.

The Kansas Corporation Commission on Tuesday approved a unanimous settlement agreement that was a little more than half of what Empire District, which operates as Liberty, requested in its rate case filed in December.

New modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey shows nutrient loads in rivers across the nation increased between 2000 and 2020, largely due to nutrients stored in the landscape from past seasons and current season agriculture nutrient applications.

The research, according to USGS, shows why “water‑quality improvements often lag behind management actions” and emphasizes the importance of addressing legacy nutrients and non-point source pollutants.

By Laura Mead

Back in 2006, talk show host Oprah Winfrey made the book and movie “The Secret” household names.

“The Secret” promotes the idea that you can get anything you want. This is achieved by practicing the power of positive thinking and applying a number of certain mental practices to gain your objective. One not-so secret about “The Secret” is this idea is not new. Author Rhonda Byrne said she learned the principles in a book published in 1910 called “The Science of Getting Rich.”

Immigration arrests reached 1,593 per day in early July in a new push to detain and deport immigrants that has led to deaths in traffic stops. There were more than 43,000 arrests in June, the highest recorded by the Trump administration, according to statistics released Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reflecting new bookings into detention facilities.

WASHINGTON — Mass voter challenges are likely to occur in the 2026 midterm elections, the Brennan Center for Justice warned Tuesday, with the potential to “undermine the democratic process.”

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