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Report predicts Kansas population will grow by half-million in 50 years • Kansas Reflector

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Report predicts Kansas population will grow by half-million in 50 years • Kansas Reflector


TOPEKA — Kansas’ population is expected to grow by nearly 500,000 people in the next 50 years, and non-white residents are predicted to drive that growth, a research center forecasts.

A report from Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research said the state is predicted to add more than 469,000 residents by 2072, which will amount to a 16% increase from the state’s 2022 population.

It’s a sign that Kansas’ population is breaking out of a period of stagnancy, said Jonathan Norris, a research economist at the center, which is a part of the university’s W. Frank Barton School of Business.

The state’s metropolitan areas — Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita — make up the lionshare of the projected growth, Norris said. But that’s because the state’s rural areas are finding their balance.

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Lumped together, rural counties are projected to decline, and metropolitan areas are projected to grow, but historical forecasts indicate rural areas are now experiencing less decline than years past, Norris said.

“The landscape is going to change,” Norris said. “One of the big changes we’re seeing is the increased diversification in those rural areas, too.”

The forecast, which was funded by the Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit the Patterson Family Foundation, analyzes mortality, fertility and migration rates along with age and race data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Surveys to reach its population predictions.

Nearly every county in Kansas will see an increase in non-white residents in the next 50 years, the forecast said. Growth rates regardless of race or ethnicity are expected to increase across the state, but Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and Pacific-Islander Kansans, among others, will see higher rates of growth than their white counterparts, the forecast indicates.

Norris attributes this to a few things. In part, white Kansans are likely to have lower birth rates than other racial or ethnic groups. It’s also because people are changing the way they fill out their census forms, Norris said. More and more people are identifying with more than one race or ethnicity.

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The state’s current population is around 2.9 million people, according to the 2020 census. Per the center’s predictions, it would exceed 3 million in 2032 and reach 3.4 million in 2072.

Births in Kansas have steadily decreased in the past 20 years with few exceptions, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2023 preliminary birth report.  However, the center’s forecast predicts the number of children younger than 5 years old will increase by nearly 24% in the next 50 years. The center believes the “growing birth counts will be a powerful driver of population growth beyond 2072,” a Monday news release said.

Kansans older than 65 are projected to experience the most growth in the next 50 years among all age groups with a nearly 23% increase. Population change among younger people — 20 years old and below — will see the most limited growth with a roughly 10% increase.

“Broadly speaking, the changing age composition just means that you’re going to have some different considerations and needs for the workforce,” Norris said.

The forecast, which will be updated annually through 2030, reveals an overall positive outlook on Kansas’ future population changes, Norris said.

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He added: “I think this reflects a lot of optimism for the direction of the state over the next 50 years.”



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Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison

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Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison


LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – A Kansas inmate will spend more time behind bars after a dispute over an extra slice of pizza turned physical.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson announced on Wednesday, March 25, that Wyatt C. Parnell, 42, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 16 additional months.

Prosecutors indicated that the sentence is the result of an attempt to assault a corrections officer during a December 2019 dining hall confrontation.

What Happened

Court records noted that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2019 – the day after Christmas – in the facility’s maximum-security dining room.

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According to prosecutors, Parnell entered the dining hall, picked up a dinner tray and grabbed an extra slice of pizza from a separate tray.

A corrections officer repeatedly ordered him to put the tray down and leave the area; however, court documents revealed that Parnell refused.

Wyatt C. Parnell, 42(Kansas Department of Corrections)

When the officer moved to retrieve the tray and again ordered Parnell to leave, prosecutors said he yanked the tray away and threw it on the floor.

Parnell then tried to push past the officer to reach the serving line for another tray, according to court records.

The officer reported that they attempted to detain Parnell, but he resisted, leading to a physical fight.

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The Charges & Sentence

Court records indicated that Parnell pleaded no contest to attempted aggravated battery. His new sentence will run consecutively – meaning it is added to the sentence he is already serving.

“Correctional facilities rely on order and compliance to maintain safety for both staff and inmates,” Thompson said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of disregarding lawful commands and engaging in behavior that puts others at risk.”

Parnell’s Criminal History

Corrections records show that Parnell was already serving time for:

  • Kidnapping
  • Aggravated battery
  • Two counts of criminal threat

Prison records also show a lengthy disciplinary history, including violations for:

  • Contraband possession
  • Fighting
  • Threats
  • Lewd acts
  • Entering restricted areas

Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.



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Kansas firefighters rescue chubby cat trapped in massive recliner while trying to hide from the vet

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Kansas firefighters rescue chubby cat trapped in massive recliner while trying to hide from the vet


This cat was feeling stuck.

A fat cat was nearly devoured by an unforgiving reclining chair as it desperately tried to evade its owner and got stuck ahead of an annual visit to the vet — forcing rescuing firefighters to destroy the lounger.

The Garfield lookalike summoned all its strength to avoid its owner ahead of a trip to the veterinarian on Saturday, when it somehow managed to wedge itself in the metal base of a mechanical recliner — which was full of sharp springs and hinges, photos shared by the Overland Park Police Department show.

Kansas firefighters pried a cat out of a reclincer chair. Overland Park Police/Instagram

It appeared to be mewling for help while one firefighter cradled its hind legs and another tended to one front paw. The pussycat then clung to the metal grate with its other paw, not daring to take its beady eyes off a screwdriver in the firefighter’s hand.

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The cat’s pudgy belly, jutted out as the recliner’s leg threatened to crush its chest.

Firefighters had to saw the chair in half to free the feline with assistance from animal control.

Police assured that, once the cat was safe, it “arrived to the vet for its annual checkup.”

Feline fanatics weren’t surprised by the orange cat’s brainless bolt for freedom.


Firefighters rescuing an orange and white cat from under a recliner.
Firefighters had to destroy the lounger to save the cat. Overland Park Police/Instagram

“Glad the kitty was safe!!! They will do anything to avoid a visit to the vet!!!!” one woman commented on the police department’s Instagram post.

“Anyone who has an orange cat knows this is just standard #oneorangebraincell life,” another added.

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“RIP mechanical recliner,” one user mourned.

In 2024, a 38-pound rescue cat named Crumbs got stuck in a shoe rack while trying to break out of fat camp.

In the viral snapshot of Crumbs’ ignominy, it laid face-down in a blue Croc shoe while its bulbous belly hung between the slots in the rack.





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Travis Kelce’s $77K watch has a sweet connection to Taylor Swift

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Travis Kelce’s K watch has a sweet connection to Taylor Swift


Travis Kelce wore a special watch to sign a multimillion-dollar deal with the Kansas City Chiefs Monday. Instagram/@chiefs

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift always know what time it is.

The football player signed a deal to return to the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday (a reported three-year, $54.735 million contract at that), and debuted a special timepiece for the occasion.

Along with his colorful Nike soccer shirt and Chiefs hat, 36-year-old Kelce wore a Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch featuring an open (or “skeletonized”) dial, which retails for a whopping $77,000.

He wore a colorful Nike soccer shirt and a Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch in gold. Instagram/@chiefs
Pictured here with Eric Bieniemy, Kelce reportedly inked a three-year deal with the Chiefs.. He will return for his 14th season this fall. Instagram/@chiefs
The Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch retails for $77,000.

While this appears to be the first time the Super Bowl winner has worn the style (he’s partial to Rolexes), his fiancée owns a different watch from the Santos de Cartier collection.

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In December 2024, she showed off a Santos Demoiselle featuring a diamond bezel — and later wore the discontinued style when Kelce proposed in August 2025.

It’s unclear if the watch was a gift from Kelce, but she began wearing it after her milestone 35th birthday. Sources told Page Six at the time that Kelce “showered” her with presents for the occasion — including engraved jewelry.

Taylor Swift wore a vintage Santos Demoiselle when Kelce proposed in August 2025. Taylor Swift / Instagram
Her Cartier style was first introduced in 2008 and later discontinued in 2022. Taylor Swift / Instagram
The diamond-covered version the pop star wears retails for around $25,000 on the secondhand market.

The Demoiselle was launched in 2008 and discontinued in 2022 — so whoever purchased Swift’s bling got it on the secondhand market, where similar pieces go for around $25,000.

As if the coordinating Cartier wasn’t enough, Kelce proved Swift was on his mind when he signed up for his 14th season with the Chiefs, taking the time to acknowledge a photo of his fiancée in Arrowhead Stadium as he walked in to seal the deal.

Perhaps the couple will choose Cartier Love rings as their wedding bands.

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