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A company with a vision of installing “discreet, bespoke,” small, nuclear reactors 1 mile underground for data centers and other electricity-hungry industries plans to put its first reactors in Kansas, Texas and Utah. Deep Fission, which says its technology could meet the “explosive demand for power from artificial intelligence” has signed letters of intent with undisclosed partners in each of those states. In email exchanges, the company said it will not currently disclose the partner and location in Kansas, but would “share more information soon.” Read more: KCUR News

Silver Lake Schools superintendent Brad Womack announced that he will be retiring in June of 2026, capping off 28 years at the school district. Womack has more than three decades of experience in the Kansas public education system, working his way up from custodian to superintendent. He made the announcement in a letter Thursday, so the Board of Education could begin searching for candidates. Read more: KSNT 27 News

The School Board is trying to recruit nonresident students to the district to increase enrollment and erase disparities between high school and kindergarten class sizes. During Thursday’s board meeting, Superintendent Stu Moeckel said the district will graduate 140 students this year, and the odds that the district is “going to bring 140 kindergartners in are not going to happen.” Moeckel said this is the second year the district has had nonresident enrollment. He said the first year it started, the district had 61 applicants. He said this year the district ended with 101 applicants, and most of them enrolled. He said [...]

The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education approved renewing the district’s license for its virtual school platform, but Superintendent Dawn Johnson said the district may need to shop around in the future after a price increase this year. With the renewal, the per-student cost of the Acellus Gold Spark Program will increase to $790. With a combined 368 students using the platform between virtual school, alternative school, and Reno County Youth Services, that puts the total cost at $290,720. Johnson said base state aid for 368 students amounted to around $2 million. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

LaHarpe volunteer firefighters paid a visit to My Second Home Daycare in LaHarpe Friday to show the youngsters the equipment they use to keep families safe. The youngsters were allowed to hold the fire hose and check out the department’s various vehicles and equipment. They also were allowed to give the siren and horn a quick blast, much to the delight of the other kiddos. Read more: The Iola Register

The initial log jam grew significantly after additional rain events, extending its length from 350 feet to around 1,000 feet. Read more: Salina Journal

The city of Topeka plans to consider a $292,500 settlement for a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a retired fire captain. This would be the fourth discrimination settlement paid by the city since June 2023. Read more: CJonline

A proposed 45,000 head swine farm 30 miles north of Salina won't need the approval of the Ottawa County Commission due to its business structure, according to a Sept. 18 opinion from the Kansas Attorney General. Read more: CJonline

Crews begin replacing 20 miles of water pipe line across the entire city, this coming Tuesday. This is a grant-funded project and it's goal is to take rusted and corroded steel pipes, and replace them with new PVC pipes that are supposed to last for the next hundred years. Read more: KSNF/KODE

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $250,000 is available under the Residential Opportunities on Main Street (ROOMS) grant program to support new upper-floor housing in commercial buildings in Designated Kansas Main Street communities. “Rural downtowns are full of history and character — and many have unused upper-floor spaces that could be utilized for additional housing options,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These funds give our community leaders the resources to turn these historic assets into vibrant, livable spaces — and increase the number of customers within a short walk of downtown restaurants and [...]