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Washburn named best public regional university in Kansas

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Washburn named best public regional university in Kansas


TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Washburn College has been named the very best public regional college in Kansas and the 14th greatest within the Midwest by U.S. Information and World Report.

As well as, workers mentioned it has ranked as the highest public regional college in Kansas for pupil veterans and has the bottom typical debt at commencement for college kids within the Sunflower State.

“It’s fantastic to see Washburn acknowledged on this method,” mentioned President Jerry Farley. “The college at Washburn is dedicated to educating and to our college students. Our tutorial assist workers are devoted, and our college students profit. This recognition by U.S. Information demonstrates our dedication to pupil success, by commencement and past.”

In accordance with the college members, rankings are based mostly on a survey by the publication which collects in depth knowledge from colleges – together with class measurement, monetary support awarded, commencement charges and peer establishment opinion.

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Employees famous that Washburn is included within the Midwest Public Regional Universities within the Midwest rankings, which is used to check small to medium-sized public universities within the Midwest that recruit inside their area and are extra centered on educating than analysis.

Nevertheless, from 2018 to 2021, officers indicated it was categorized as a nationwide college which in contrast it to a lot bigger research-focused universities that recruit nationally.

Employees additionally mentioned the rank of fifth Lowest Debt amongst Regional Public Universities within the Midwest is predicated on the quantity borrowed by federal loans, which is about 54% of incoming freshmen. Washburn was additionally ranked twenty ninth for consideration to the precise wants of veterans and people who transition out of energetic navy service within the area.

“When you’re searching for public universities on this area, we’re a fantastic alternative,” mentioned Christa Smith, director of Strategic Evaluation, Analysis, and Reporting, who accomplished a majority of the survey on Washburn’s behalf. “Which means you’re going to graduate on time, with much less debt and with a top-quality training.”

To see how Washburn College compares to different establishments, click on HERE.

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Kansas is missing out on data center projects. Can sales tax breaks change that?

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Kansas is missing out on data center projects. Can sales tax breaks change that?


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  • Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would exempt data centers from paying sales tax on construction and equipment.
  • Supporters say the tax break is needed to attract data centers and the high-paying jobs they bring.
  • Opponents argue the tax breaks are too costly and that Kansas should focus on broader tax relief.
  • Some lawmakers also expressed concern about the impact data centers would have on the state’s electric grid.

Kansas politicians are renewing an effort to lure data centers to the state by giving such projects tax incentives.

The Senate voted 34-6 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 51, which sends it to the House. The bill would create a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of a qualified data center in Kansas with a minimum investment of $250 million. The tax break would apply to the purchase of equipment and other costs.

State economic development officials say Kansas is missing out on data center projects and could continue to miss out on them without a tax incentive.

“The choice is simple,” said Sen. Joe Claeys, R-Wichita. “We can pass SB 51 and compete for billions in new investment, or we can continue to watch these opportunities go to other states.

“No state has ever attracted a significant data center investment without this basic exemption. This bill brings new investment, creates high paying jobs, improves our power infrastructure and generates long-term tax revenue. It’s time for Kansas to get in the game.”

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Kansas is missing out on data centers

Rachel Willis, of the Kansas Department of Commerce, told the Senate Commerce Committee last month that Kansas missed out on five projects in the past calendar year. That included a $10 billion data center campus that went to Louisiana and four separate projects, each worth $800 million, that chose Alabama, Minnesota, South Carolina and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, the agency’s business recruitment team has 14 data center projects in the pipeline. Willis said tax incentives would help entice those projects to choose Kansas.

Greater Topeka Chamber president Juliet Abdel indicated that the capital city has been considered for some of the projects.

“Go Topeka, our Topeka and Shawnee County economic development entity, has had several Data Center projects express interest,” Abdel said in written testimony. “The economic impact both directly and indirectly is substantial. These projects contribute to the economy through infrastructure investments, employment, and function as a catalyst to growth as industries become more digitally driven.”

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How would the tax break work?

“This exemption would be for sales tax for anything from land or site improvements, buildings, data center equipment, lease purchases, etc.,” said Sen. Stephen Owens, R-Hesston. “It’s important to note that these sales tax exemptions do have a timeline.”

The timeline depends on the size of the investment. The exemption lasts 15 years for an investment of at least $250 million investment, 30 years for an investment of $500,000 or more and 60 years for an investment that tops $1 billion.

“The reason for that extension is to ensure that these data centers can continue to be refreshed over time,” Owens said, such as investing in updated servers as technology changes.

Owens said this would put Kansas in line with 31 states that have similar sales tax breaks for data centers.

Owens said the tax breaks are offset by the taxes a data center would pay on its electric bill.

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“The sales tax that we would have forgone is actually outweigh by the sales tax we would collect on the utilities, and specifically the electricity that is being purchased,” he said. “So ultimately, this is a net benefit.”

Data center projects criticized

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, pointed to a 2016 study by Good Jobs First, a corporate subsidy watchdog. It reported that 11 data center megadeals received a total of more than $2 billion in incentives, translating to a cost of $1.95 million per job created.

A follow-up report in 2023 raised similar concerns, concluding: “The data we do have is clear: Such subsidies are indefensible in any state, given spiraling costs and paltry job creation.”

“If we’re serious about cutting the state budget and providing meaningful tax relief to all Kansans, we must stop picking winners and losers with targeted tax relief for a few,” Thompson said. “Instead, we should level the playing field for all our residents and businesses so they can share in the economic benefits.”

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Electric grid concerns

Sen. Kenny Titus, R-Manhattan, opposed the bill “because of concerns about our electric power grid’s ability to provide adequate power supply in the future for both the potential influx of data centers and other economic development opportunities that provide many more employment opportunities.”

Claeys, citing a Kansas Corporation Commission report, said that “large load customers like data centers actually help make electricity more affordable for everyone. Because these facilities provide substantial, predictable demand from large customers, they can plan and invest more efficiently in our power infrastructure.”

Electric utility monopoly Evergy made the same argument in written testimony.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.





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COLUMN: Kansas City Must Get Mahomes Another Upper-Tier Wide Receiver

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COLUMN: Kansas City Must Get Mahomes Another Upper-Tier Wide Receiver


It wasn’t long ago when a young Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill were terrorizing opposing defenses week in and week out. It was a match made in heaven with Mahomes physical gifts and Hill’s Olympic track speed that made the two an incredible quarterback-wide receiver tandem.

However, following the 2021 season, the Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, riding Mahomes of an elite talent on the outside that the team has still been searching for since. In Super Bowl LIX, Travis Kelce’s days as an All-World tight end were long gone, leaving his quarterback with no answers to beat the vaunted Philadelphia Eagles defense in the Chiefs 40-22 defeat.

One thing became perfectly clear after this game: Mahomes needs a top-flight playmaker on the perimeter.

There will be some pushback to that opinion. The Chiefs drafted wide receiver Rashee Rice in the second round two seasons ago and became an instant impact player. However, he missed most of this past season with a knee injury but should return as a key part of the offense as long as his off-field issues are resolved and he remains healthy.

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Kansas City also drafted Xavier Worthy as their speed demon and future star playmaker. He had an incredible game in the Super Bowl albeit down multiple scores in an already lost game. However, it may not be enough even if the team chooses to bring back Marquise Brown next month.

With Kelce’s future uncertain ahead of free agency, general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid must consider acquiring a talented and potential No. 1 receiver this offseason. No, don’t expect them to make a drastic trade up in the first round this year for Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and even if they do draft a WR early, a playmaker-by-committee approach just doesn’t seem feasible right now.

There have been numerous wide receivers who have been in the trade rumor mill for months. Seattle Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf, San Fransisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel, Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins, New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson, and Pittsburgh Steelers’ George Pickens have all been a part of trade rumors one way or another. Any one of those players would provide a significant boost for the Chiefs offense.

The best hands of that group belong to Tee Higgins, whose length and size allow him to have an outstanding catch radius and come away with tough catches in any situation. Wilson is a top wide receiver stuck on a mediocre franchise that doesn’t know which direction it’s going and being a true No. 1 playmaker with a top quarterback could see him put up career numbers. Pickens is the one with the most potential if he can keep himself under control and focus on the task at hand.

There’s also a chance that there could be a reunion between the Chiefs and Hill if the Dolphins decide to move him, assuming Hill can remain healthy and remain the same uber-explosive player he has been for the last seven-plus years.

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Either way, finding another high-end playmaker would ease the potential loss of someone like Kelce, who has been Mahomes trusty security blanket since he became the starting QB. A room of Wilson, Worthy, Rice, and Brown would give Mahomes a group of playmakers he could trust with the ball in their hands, especially in space.

How the Chiefs approach the offseason at wide receiver will be key. If they go into the summer with Worthy and Rice as their top two playmakers, it’s risky but it shows their trust in the group as a whole, with or without Kelce.

Regardless, Mahomes needs a trustworthy No. 1 guy and Kansas City should do as much as they can to acquire the missing piece from their Super Bowl defeat.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @KCChiefsOnSI and never miss another breaking news story again.

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Quick recap: Kansas bounces back with dominant win over Oklahoma State

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Quick recap: Kansas bounces back with dominant win over Oklahoma State


Kansas’ performance against Oklahoma State on Saturday looked like the start of a “new season,” dominating the Cowboys 96-64 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks did a complete 180 after losing to BYU by 34 points on Tuesday, looking like a completely different team.

They made 14 threes for the game, the most Kansas has made in a game all season. The Jayhawks shot 46.7% from downtown, with four players hitting multiple threes. Kansas moved the ball well, assisting on 23 of 28 made shots.

Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, with Hunter Dickinson leading the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds. David Coit and Zeke Mayo each made five threes, while Dajuan Harris scored 14 points and tallied six steals.

Kansas dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cowboys 48-28. Flory Bidunga tallied 16 rebounds in 21 minutes.

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First half

Kansas turned the ball over on the first two possessions of the game while both teams struggled to put together competent possessions. The Jayhawks and Cowboys combined for seven turnovers and only five made shots in the first four minutes. Kansas held an 8-4 lead thanks to two early buckets from Hunter Dickinson.

Both teams settled in from a shotmaking standpoint but turnovers remained a problem for Kansas. The Jayhawks took a 12-7 lead, but turnovers allowed a 5-0 run for the Cowboys including a shot clock-beating deep three from Bryce Thompson. Diggy Coit checked in and provided an instant impact, hitting threes on consecutive possessions. Kansas led 18-15 at the under-12 after Brandon Newman knocked down a three.

Coit and Dajuan Harris propelled the Jayhawks offense as Coit knocked down another three. Harris got to the line and hit a three of his own, with the Jayhawks starting to build a lead. Kansas went on a 7-2 run, leading 28-19 at the under-eight.

Kansas padded its lead following threes from Rylan Griffen and Zeke Mayo. The Jayhawks were getting their shooters open looks and forcing Oklahoma State to play half-court offense, where it struggled to score. KJ Adams threw down a dunk to put the lead at 15, 36-21.

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The Jayhawks scored 11 unanswered points to make their lead 21. Adams threw down another dunk, and Dickinson made two baskets as Kansas took full control. Harris racked up the steals, and Oklahoma State went on a scoring drought of three minutes.

Thompson made two free throws followed by another 10-0 run from Kansas. Mayo hit back-to-back deep threes, and Dickinson jumped a passing lane that he finished on the other end with a transition dunk. Kansas took a 52-23 lead into halftime where seemingly everything went right for the Jayhawks.

Second half

The second half started essentially even with both teams trading short runs. Harris and Mayo hit threes on a 9-0 run for Kansas. Oklahoma State answered with five straight of its own, with Kansas leading 61-30 at the under-16 timeout.

Kansas responded to the Cowboys’ run by continuing to be on fire from beyond the arc. Griffen hit a three and Coit knocked down another two triples as Kansas pushed its lead to 72-38.

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The Jayhawks essentially traded baskets with the Cowboys, with AJ Storr getting in on the action with an and-one. Kansas still controlled a comfortable lead, 79-44 with 7:59 remaining.

The walk-ons got some action as Kansas cruised to a dominating win to kick off its “new season.”



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