Kansas

Bishop McKnight tapped to follow Naumann as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas

Published

9 months ago

April 8, 2025

Press Room

Bishop McKnight tapped to follow Naumann as archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2025 /
10:10 am

The Vatican on Tuesday announced Pope Francis’ choice of Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, as the next archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas, following the resignation of Archbishop Joseph Naumann.

Naumann is retiring after turning 75 in June 2024 and after 20 years at the helm of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, which has over 180,000 Catholics and a total population of nearly 1.4 million. Pope Francis accepted Naumann’s resignation on April 8 after the Kansas City archbishop submitted his letter last year as required by canon law.

Originally from St. Louis, Naumann was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Kansas City in January 2004 and assumed the role of archbishop one year later when his predecessor retired. Prior to that, he served for nearly seven years as an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, the archdiocese in which he had been ordained a priest in 1975.

From 2018-2021, Naumann was chairman of the pro-life committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), for which he now serves as a consultant.

For the 56-year-old McKnight, the appointment marks a return to his home state — and a move just 150 miles to the west — after seven years in Missouri’s capital city.

The archbishop-designate, who will be installed in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, on May 27, said in an April 8 statement that he was grateful for his seven years leading the Catholics of the Diocese of Jefferson City, his “first flock as a bishop.”

Kansas City, Kansas, on the border with the state of Missouri, is part of the greater metropolitan area of Kansas City, which also includes the separately incorporated city of Kansas City, Missouri (part of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph).

Prior to his nomination as bishop of Jefferson City, McKnight, one of seven children, was a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, where he was ordained in 1994.

The bishop has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Dallas and both a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome. His dissertation was on the permanent diaconate.

McKnight was an adjunct professor of theology and visiting scholar in the Bishop Gerber Institute of Catholic Studies at Newman University in Wichita from 2000-2001. He also served as a university chaplain.

From 2003-2008, McKnight taught liturgy and homiletics, and held several administrative roles, including dean of students at the Pontifical College Josephinum, a seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

He spent six years in Washington, D.C., serving as executive director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations of the USCCB before returning to serve in a parish in Wichita.

Pope Francis named him the fourth bishop of Jefferson City in early 2018.

Hannah Brockhaus

Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency’s senior Vatican correspondent. After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, she earned a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri. In 2016, she moved to Rome, Italy, where in her spare time she enjoys reading and going on adventures with her husband and son.

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Kansas

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

by: Wil Day

Posted: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

Updated: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture held a meeting on Thursday to discuss proposed rules regarding the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.

The Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and changes to current regulations under the law.

The division is looking at amending or revoking regulations related to flowmeters tracking water usage.

It is also proposing changes to groundwater usage rules on how far you can move a well from its original location to prevent harming the water rights of other landowners.

Another regulation would create voluntary Water Conservation Areas, where landowners work with the division to establish water conservation plans on their properties.

Some of the concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting dealt with property rights and the transfer of land to new owners. Some expressed concern about the sale of water rights to other landowners in the area.

There is no listed timeline for when the changes could be made.

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Kansas

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

Published

22 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.

On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.

It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.

The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.

From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.

“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.

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Kansas

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said Wednesday that he still loves baseball, but is “done” negotiating with the Royals on a new stadium for the team in the county.

According to Withington, Thursday, Jan. 8, was the deadline for the Royals to appear on the April 2026 ballot in the county.

Withington said the Royals told the county that they were not ready to meet that deadline.

Withington took to Facebook to explain that “the joy has been drained” out of him over the last few years and expressed his dislike towards the business of baseball.

He called negotiations with the team “a closed chapter” and said that the county is shifting its focus elsewhere.

“It’s time for the Commission to focus fully on priorities we control—either upgrading our existing county jail or building a new one,” Withington wrote.

The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County expires in January 2031.

KSHB 41’s political reporter Charlie Keegan reported in May 2025 on efforts by Missouri to keep both the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.

While the Chiefs announced that they will move to a new stadium site in 2031 in Wyandotte County, the Royals have not announced their next steps to get a new ballpark built.

A stadium site near 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park has emerged as a possibility for a stadium site for the ball club.

Some residents in that area are not happy about that possibility.

KSHB 41 News reached out to the Royals for comment, but has not heard back.