Kansas
Explosion at Kansas State Fair leaves two hospitalized
A small explosion at a concession trailer during the Kansas State Fair on Tuesday evening left two individuals hospitalized and others with minor injuries, according to local officials.
The blast resulted in a fire that prompted a quick response from emergency personnel. According to Kansas State Fair director Brian Schulz in a news release, crews from the Hutchinson Fire Department were called to the fairgrounds and arrived on the scene at 6:28 p.m. local time.
Two individuals were immediately transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. While their condition has not been disclosed, officials at the fair confirmed that others sustained minor injuries but declined medical attention on-site.
The exact cause of the explosion is still unknown while authorities, including the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Hutchinson Fire Department, are currently investigating the incident.
Newsweek reached out to the Hutchinson police department and the Kansas State Fair via email on Wednesday for comment.
Mark Reinstein/Corbis/Getty Images
According to the Kansas State Fair website, Tuesday’s incident occurred during the fair’s Tasty Tuesday, in which participating vendors offered $2 concessions.
The fair is a major annual event in the area. It began on Friday and is scheduled to end this Sunday with an expected 350,000 visitors.
The family-friendly fair hosts several outdoor attractions, including carnival rides on the Midway, fried foods at the food court and musical performances that will include acts ranging from Wynonna Judd, the Goo Goo Dolls and the Oak Ridge Boys.
“Each year, visitors from around the world come to Hutchinson to celebrate the culture and history of our great state,” Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said on the State Fair visitor’s guide. “Whether that means taste-testing 50-year-old family recipes, attending a show at the Nex-Tech Grandstand, or experiencing Kansas’ rich agricultural history firsthand, the State Fair showcases why it’s so great to be a Kansan.”
Kelly statement added, “My administration will continue to support efforts to grow the Fair in the coming years as an important Kansas tourist attraction, and a symbol of our agricultural sector’s strength, and a driver of the local economy,”
The annual event dates back to January of 1873 when a group of businessmen met and organized the Reno County Agricultural Society. On September 23-24 that year, the society hosted a fair which was held in a small wooden livery stable behind the town’s only bank, according to the Kansas State Fair website.
Since then, every year the Kansas State Fair has provided visitors with more events and food.
“As always, you will find the many outstanding exhibits that our great Kansas people have spent many hours preparing to showcase at the Fair,” Bob Atkisson, president of the Board Kansas State Fair, said on the State Fair visitor’s guide.
Kansas
Kansas man sentenced to 4 years in connection with 13-year-old Linn County boy’s death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Bates County Circuit Court judge Friday sentenced a Linn County, Kansas, man in connection with the December 2025 death of Airen Andula, 13.
Damon Leonard, 47, was sentenced to four years in prison for abandonment of a corpse, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to the charge of abandoning a corpse on May 22.
Andula disappeared from his Pleasanton, Kansas, home on Dec. 21, 2025. A day later, law enforcement found the boy’s body in a ravine in Bates County, Missouri. He had died from multiple dog bite injuries.
Police were led to the boy’s body after a phone call from Leonard.
Court documents said Leonard “admitted that he transported the deceased child from Kansas to Missouri and left the body in the bottom of the creek” before he returned home.
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva spoke with Andula’s family earlier this week — after the guilty plea and ahead of Friday’s sentencing.
His family shared that the guilty plea brought a small sense of justice, but it didn’t do much to ease the pain of their loss.
READ MORE | Family of Airen Andula speaks out ahead of sentencing
“We’re missing our kid every day of our lives,” the boy’s father Charles Andula told Silva.
Leonard received credit for time served of 158 days in his sentence, per court records.
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Kansas
Gas, diesel fuel prices down over past week across nation, Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – It may not seem like a lot of relief, but gas and diesel prices have declined over the past week.
Friday morning’s national average for a gallon of unleaded gas was $4.39, according to the Automobile Association of America.
That’s down three cents from $4.42 on Thursday; down 16 cents from a week ago; but was up 17 cents from $4.22 a month ago and up $.23 from $3.16 a year ago.
In Kansas, AAA says, unleaded gas on Friday was averaging $3.96 a gallon — down four cents from $4.00 on Thursday; down 13 cents from $3.96 a week ago; but up 26 cents from $3.70 a month ago; and up $1.07 over $2.89 a year ago.
Diesel fuel also was dropping in price. AAA says Friday’s national average for a gallon of diesel was $5.52 a gallon — down three cents from $5.55 on Thursday; down 12 cents from $5.64 a week a go; but up six cents from $5.46 a month ago and up $1.98 from $3.54 a year ago.
Kansas diesel fuel prices, according to AAA, checked in at an average of $4.98 on Friday. That’s five cents below $5.03 on Thursday; down 16 cents from $5.14 a week ago; but up 24 cents over $4.74 a month ago; and up $1.72 from $3.26 a year ago.
In Topeka, GasBuddy.com on Friday morning showed unleaded gas prices ranging between $3.77 and $4.09 in Topeka, with diesel fuel going for between $4.94 and $5.29 a gallon.
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Kansas
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