Kansas

37 Kansas airports to receive more than $14 million

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

37 Kansas airports to receive more than million

TOPEKA, Kan. (Release) – Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that 58 projects at 37 airports have been selected to receive $14.3 million through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP).

“Improvements made to our aviation infrastructure are vital to local economies, even in rural parts of Kansas,” said the governor. “These enhancements ensure that no matter where they are in the state, businesses and communities have every opportunity to grow and prosper.”

The Kansas Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation received 135 applications seeking more than $84 million for projects in this round of KAIP grants. The selected projects focus on pavement preservation, safety, and air ambulance accessibility.

“These general aviation airport improvements couldn’t happen without local partners and KDOT working together,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed. “Programs like this help Kansans have access to renewed and reliable transportation options available to them in every region of the state.”

Local matching funds are required, though the amount varies depending on the project. With the matching local funds, the total KAIP project value is more than $34 million.

Approved 2024 Kansas Airport Improvement Program projects:

Abilene Municipal Airport – $376,113

$32,571 to replace a rotating beacon.
$110,061 to replace Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS).
$233,481 to replace a T-hangar.

Atkinson Municipal Airport, Pittsburg – $135,000

$135,000 to replace AWOS.

Amelia Earhart Airport, Atchison – $479,522

$479,522 state match of the local share of a runway construction project.

Augusta Municipal Airport – $74,520

$74,520 for a hangar approach and foundation project.

Belleville Municipal Airport – $453,500

$66,500 for a design of a pavement preservation project.
$387,000 for the construction of a pavement preservation project, including crack fill, seal coat, and markings.

Coffey County Airport, Burlington – $93,500

$93,500 for a hangar door replacement to eliminate ongoing maintenance problems.

Chanute Martin Johnson Airport, Chanute – $180,000

$180,000 for phase 2 of the fence project to install chain-link fencing with barbed wire wildlife barrier.

Ellsworth Municipal Airport – $675,000

$675,000 for taxilane project.

Emporia Municipal Airport – $906,000

$114,000 for apron design to accommodate larger aircraft.
$792,000 for apron construction to accommodate larger aircraft.

Gardner Municipal Airport – $798,500

$76,000 for the design of a fuel system project.
$722,500 for the construction phase of an above-ground fuel system and the removal of an underground fuel system.

Gove County Airport, Gove City – $142,200

$142,200 to install AWOS.

Herrington Regional Airport – $170,000

$170,000 state match to unfunded local share of runway edge lighting, precision approach path indicator (PAPI), and runway end identifier lights (REILs).

Hugoton Municipal Airport – $288,000

$18,000 to crack seal runway 13/31.
$270,000 for pavement repairs near the terminal and T-hangars.

Allen County Airport, Iola – $664,500

$57,000 for the design of a drainage and earthwork project for the parallel taxiway.
$607,500 for the construction of the drainage and earthwork project for a parallel taxiway.

Stanton County Municipal Airport, Johnson City – $144,000

$144,000 to replace the AWOS.

Larned Pawnee County Airport, Larned – $166,860

$125,460 to replace AWOS.
$41,400 for upgrading the fuel pump, fuel filters, hose reel, and credit card reader for the fuel system.

Lawrence Regional Airport – $375,500

$38,000 to design the rehabilitation of Taxiway C.
$337,500 for the construction of the rehabilitation of Taxiway C.

Sherman Army Airfield, Leavenworth – $14,865

$14,865 for fuel system modernization, including installing a credit card reader and electronic display.

Mark Hoard Memorial Airport, Leoti – $61,775

$61,775 for fuel system repair and modernization.

Lucas Airport – $799,840

$36,100 for the design of runway 17/35 pavement repair project.
$763,740 for the construction phase of runway 17/35 pavement crack repair, milling, and marking project.

Marion Municipal Airport – $122,625

$122,625 for runway 17/35 crack repair.

McPherson Airport – $351,000

$351,000 for runway 18/36 joint, crack seal, minor spall repair, and isolated panel repairs.

Medicine Lodge Airport – $441,435

$57,000 for the design of an airport lighting project.
$384,435 to remove and replace runway and taxiway lights and regulator for airfield lighting modernization.

Johnson County Executive Airport, Olathe – $1,898,270

$13,600 for crack seal and pavement maintenance materials.
$800,000 for the reconstruction of the East-1 Apron.
$284,670 to install 4,800 feet of 8-foot fencing with 3-strand barbed wire.
$800,000 for taxilane pavement/East-4 apron reconstruction.

New Century Air Center, New Century (Johnson County) – $2,858,350

$13,600 for crack seal and pavement maintenance materials.
$460,800 for the reconstruction of Taxiway K from the runway hold line to Taxiway L.
$206,150 for pavement reconstruction design of the north portion of the west apron.
$800,000 for the construction portion of pavement reconstruction of the north portion of the west apron.
$577,800 for taxilane and apron mill and overlay around east T-hangars.
$800,000 for the reconstruction of the south section of the west apron.

Oberlin Municipal Airport – $126,000

$126,000 to replace AWOS.

Osage City Municipal Airport – $50,000

$50,000 for state match to local share of pavement rehabilitation and airfield lighting.

Pratt Regional Airport – $36,000

$36,000 to replace the Ceilometer component on an AWOS.

Cook Airfield, Rose Hill – $22,500

$22,500 for crack seal and pavement maintenance materials.

Rush County Airport, Rush Center – $44,200

$44,200 for taxilane pavement repairs.

Satanta Municipal Airport – $45,000

$45,000 to drill a well to support the pilot lounge, hangars, and aerial applicators.

Smith Center Municipal Airport – $318,500

$66,500 for the design of pavement repairs of taxilanes east of the apron.
$252,000 for the construction of pavement repairs of taxilanes east of the apron.

Syracuse-Hamilton County Airport, Syracuse – $23,850

$23,850 for the crack seal of runway 13/31.

Ulysses Airport – $404,000

$66,500 for the design of a fence project along the northwestern side of the airport.
$337,500 for constructing a fence along the northwestern side of the airport.

Wellington Municipal Airport – $11,700

$11,700 to replace the rotating beacon.

Colonel James Jabara Airport, Wichita – $360,000

$360,000 for the design and construction of a chain-link security/wildlife fence on the east side of the field.

Strother Field, Winfield – $225,000

$225,000 for joint seal and pavement repairs around the T-hangars north of the terminal.

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Kansas

Kansas State Baseball 2026 at Utah

Published

20 minutes ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

After a rough homestand that saw the Cats go 1-3, your Kansas State Wildcats are back on the road for a Big 12 series against Utah — K-State’s first trip out to Salt Lake City for a baseball game.

The Cats sit at 17-8 on the season and 3-3 in Big 12 play, and after starting the season strong have really struggled since the Sunday game against Houston two weekends ago. Either the bats go wild and they win in a rule-ruled game, or they lose. Not exactly a recipe for confidence moving into the heart of the season.

And a lot of that struggle is on the bullpen and the K-State defense, with the former struggling to throw strikes and avoid giving up easy homeruns, and the latter struggling with staying focused and committing unforced errors at the worst times. But if ever there was a good weekend in conference play to get back on track, it would be this one for K-State. Utah enters today 13-9 and 3-3 in Big 12 play, but currently rank dead last in hitting in conference play despite putting up runs and picking up wins. If K-State can avoid errors and letting bad plays snowball, they will have a good opportunity to sweep this series.

But the Cats have to be more consistent than they’ve shown the past couple weeks.

All games here in Salt Lake City are at the America First Ballpark, a park that opened last spring and is also the home of Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, and will be available on online via KMAN and at KStateSports.com/watch with Matt Walters calling the action there. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+, with a Bill Riley on the broadcast.

James Guyette takes the mound Friday night at 7:000pm CT for his seventh start of the season. The junior righty went into the sixth inning last Friday against Arizona State before getting lifted after recording just one out. He gave up three runs on five hits, one of those over the fence, and five free bases while tossing five strikeouts. Through six games he’s got an ERA of 5.51, the highest of K-State’s weekend starters.

The Cat batters will face junior right-hander Colter McAnelly to open the game. McAnelly finished 2025 as an All-Big 12 First Team selection, and the Wyoming native earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors three times as a sophomore. He’s not been quite as productive so far in 2026, sitting at just 2-3 in six starts this season with an ERA of 3.94. But that number is way up after last week, when he gave up six runs on six hits in five innings in what ended up as a 4-13 loss to Cincinnati.

Saturday’s game is set for a 3:00pm CT first-pitch. Lincoln Sheffield moves up a day as Pete Hughes looks to shake things up in his maligned bullpen, also making his seventh start of the season. Last Sunday, the senior lefty pitched a run-ruled complete game, giving up just one run on five hits and two free bases, but tossing six strikeouts enroute to a 12-1 K-State victory, and Sheff’s fifth of the season. He leads K-State starters with a 3.97 ERA that dropped back under 4.00 after his 1.29 effort last Sunday.

Utah will send to the mound Payton Riske to face the Cat batters. The right-handed junior is also making his seventh start of the season, all as the Saturday starter — a role the Las Vegas-native earned last season and has yet to relinquish. Last week he went just three innings against Cincinnati, giving up five runs on six hits — but no walks — in what became a 10-20 loss to the Bearcats.

Sunday’s start time is set for 2:00pm CT, and Tanner Duke will take the bump for the Cats in the swap with Sheffield. Duke was solid in his first two Saturday starts, before struggling against Arizona State last Saturday. The junior righty lasted just three innings, giving up seven runs (five earned) on six hits, including two over the fence, before leaving the game with the Sun Devils up 5-7. But ultimately it didn’t matter as the bullpen was just as giving, with the Cats eventually falling 12-18. After falling to 3.43, Duke’s ERA ballooned back up to 4.88 for the season.

Utah has not named a starter for Sunday’s game, but sophomore Cameron Nielson made the start last Sunday for the Utes in their 13-11 finale win over the Bearcats. Last week, the right-hander was solid through the first two innings before getting lifted after snagging just one out in the third. His final line was two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks (one of those was intentional), tossing just one strikeout. He’s got a season ERA of 3.86, but has only pitched more than three innings one time in his seven appearances so far this season.

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Kansas

Will Flory Bidunga Return to Kansas, Enter the NBA Draft, or Transfer?

Published

12 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Will Flory Bidunga Return to Kansas, Enter the NBA Draft, or Transfer?

The Kansas player with the biggest decision to make this offseason is sophomore big man Flory Bidunga. The Congo native just wrapped up his second year in Lawrence and will have to determine whether he wants to spend another year at the university.

In 35 games this season, he averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game en route to an All-Big 12 First Team selection. A breakout star, Bidunga took one of the biggest jumps of any player in the entire country.

Most mock drafts project Bidunga to be selected in the early-to-mid second round or even as early as the late first round, though you’d be hard-pressed to find many predictions like that. Is he a strong enough draft prospect to go pro after two campaigns?

Evaluating Flory Bidunga as an NBA Draft Prospect

Bidunga’s biggest strength is as a rim protector and shot-blocker, evidenced by his conference-leading block number. His freakishly lengthy wingspan allows him to contest nearly any shot at the rim and forces opposing players to reconsider testing their luck against him.

Almost all of Bidunga’s points come within six feet of the basket or the free-throw line, where he has shot a lifetime 61.8% in the NCAA. Since he has such an impressive vertical for his size, he can rise up for several dunks a game and might have thrown down more alley oops than any other player in the country this season.

Mar 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Despite his long arms, Bidunga is still quite undersized as a true five. He stands at 6-foot-9, which is rather short for someone with the skill set he possesses.

Bidunga is a traditional big who specializes on the defensive end and on the defensive glass. Still, it is difficult to see why an NBA team would want to spend an early draft pick on a center who doesn’t have much of a post game or imposing size.

He feels like someone who can carve out a long career in the league as a backup big man, which is a perfectly fine role to have. For him to become anything more than that, he’ll have to expand his game outside the paint and build more muscle to avoid being bullied by stronger centers.

Could Flory Bidunga Play Collegiately at a Different School?

While Bidunga will certainly be looking to impress NBA Draft scouts with his ability, going pro is not the only option for him. He could return to Kansas for his junior year or even enter the transfer portal to explore other collegiate opportunities.

Last year, Bidunga briefly entered the transfer portal before returning to the university and staying with Kansas. His reasoning was that he had concerns after playing sparingly in his freshman year behind Hunter Dickinson and may have also been seeking a larger NIL payout.

Before the season even ended, there was speculation that Bidunga might be eyeing opportunities from other schools that could offer more in NIL compensation. This has led to widespread uncertainty about his future as a Jayhawk.

Head coach Bill Self has refused to comment on these rumors in the past, but the uncertainty surrounding his own future at the school adds another layer to Bidunga’s situation. He has played for Coach Self in both of his collegiate seasons and may not be willing to stick it out with KU if a new face takes over the program.

We should learn more about these circumstances in the coming weeks, but Bidunga’s decision is one to monitor more closely than anyone else’s on the team. What he decides this offseason could ultimately shape the trajectory of his basketball career.

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Kansas

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. She also covers stories in the Northland. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in an early morning hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter March 21.

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash

Lee was turning left from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard onto Eastwood Trafficway when a car ran a red light and hit him. A small memorial now grows at the intersection.

Chris Morrison

Arthur Lee Jr, son of Arthur Lee Sr.

“Devastated. Everybody’s hurt, it was really unexpected,” his son Arthur Lee Jr. said. “I loved him to death. My dad was like my best friend.”

Lee was well known in the barbecue community, working as a pitmaster at Gates Bar-B-Q for the past eight years after spending two decades at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.

“He loved working at Gates,” Rose Qualls, Lee’s sister-in-law, said. “He was always making us slabs and turkey sandwiches.”

The morning of the incident, Lee was preparing to move into a new home with his wife and children, getting ready for a fresh start before a tragic end.

“He was really special, you know. He was one of a kind and everybody that he was around just loved him,” Qualls said. “It’s just a sad situation.”

Lee was 60 years old. His family said while his life was cut short, his flame will burn forever.

“My sister, she is really going through it, we all are,” Qualls said. “And I’m here for her, whatever she needs, when she need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter — Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter.

The family is pleading for answers and for the driver, who fled the scene, to come forward.

“I would pray that they would have some type of compassion, some type of heart, possibly turn themselves in,” Lee Jr. said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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