Millions of monarch butterflies will travel through the state as they make their journey toward central Mexico. The butterflies are headed to warmer weather as the days get longer, temperatures change and winter approaches. They usually arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November, a natural event that coincides with the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations. Kansas plays a vital role in helping the butterflies on their journey, as states like Oklahoma and Texas experience nectar droughts.
“When we start getting these really extensive areas of drought it’s when it’s much more challenging for the migration,” said Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. “Nectar is very important this time of year.” The species will stop to rest and fuel up on nectar before continuing their trip south. People may begin to spot more activity and sometimes monarch roosts — a group of them resting in trees or flower fields in the evening.
Sightings can be submitted to the Journey North project, which helps track the migration and other seasonal changes across North America. Other local organizations like the Great Plains Nature Center and Botanica are also helping researchers track the butterflies by hosting tagging events. “We’re getting lots of good information about where monarchs are in space and time, which will help us kind of think about what on-the-ground conservation looks like, and where does that need to be,” Baum said.
Tagging requires catching a butterfly, applying a hole-punch size sticker on their wing, and releasing them. Each sticker has a unique tracking number that will identify the butterfly throughout its life and will never be used again. Baum says an old tag was recently recovered from leaf-litter that included a dead butterfly dating back to 1997. The tag originated from Wamego High School. The Project Monarch Collaboration has taken the process one step further. The collaboration created radio tags for the butterflies, allowing people to see where they are in real time through an app.
Baum says tagging isn’t the only way to support the species. People can place nectar plants outside their homes during this season or plant milkweed for the spring when they make their way back north. “Monarchs are good ambassadors for pollinators, insects in general and other wildlife,” Baum said. “Good monarch habitat is also good habitat for lots of … other wildlife as well.” Botanica will host its inaugural Monarch Festival on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Great Plains Nature Center will also host a tagging event September 28th at 6:30 p.m.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
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Flooding could impact more than 88 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as severe weather threatens multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and northern Plains. About two dozen flash floods have been reported Monday across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Flood watches remained in effect until Tuesday morning for large swaths of the Midwest, including much of Missouri and Illinois, with some extending farther south through Tennessee and into northern Alabama and Georgia.
The watches, which are issued when weather conditions mean flooding is possible but not necessarily guaranteed, affect about 20 million people. The severe weather threat to major cities in Kansas, like Topeka and Salina, is expected to last through Thursday, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Storms across the central Plains could also potentially produce “very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes,” while heavy rain posed risks of flash flooding across sections of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters have predicted rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas. Forecasters also warned that excessive rain over parts of Tennessee and Alabama would continue to carry the potential for “considerable and life-threatening flooding” through Monday evening, after as much as 9 inches of rain drenched the region on Sunday.
Rushing water triggered a flash flood emergency near Huntsville, Alabama, where video footage captured vehicles partially submerged on a street. The flooding left some drivers stranded. This week’s storms come on the heels of others that already brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country over the weekend, leading to at least one death in New York City. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Parts of the South were affected, too. In Texas’ Milam County, about an hour outside of Austin, torrential downpours caused vehicles to slide off of local roads on Saturday and prompted multiple water rescues.
In Slidell, Louisiana, up to 6 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours, which also caused flash flooding. As the weekend storms pounded northeastern states like Pennsylvania and New York, Pittsburgh resident Tim Broadwater told “CBS Mornings” that ferocious wind gusts shook his home so violently that it was knocked off of the cement blocks that previously held it upright. “I was scared to death,” Broadwater said. “I thought I was going to end up in the creek.” In New York City, officials said an 85-year-old man was struck and killed by a falling tree in Queens. In Brooklyn, where wind gusts reached 64 mph, video showed furniture tumbling across the deck of a rooftop pool. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department said the storms downed more than 250 trees across the city.
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Abortion policy continued to evolve at the state level this week, with new restrictions signed into law, high-profile legislative failures, court victories on religious-freedom grounds, and ongoing preparations for 2026 ballot battles. Both pro-life and pro-choice groups remained active, framing developments around fetal protections versus access and health impacts. Here are the major stories:
1. Wyoming Enacts 6-Week “Heartbeat” Ban
Governor Mark Gordon signed HB 126, banning most abortions once a heartbeat is detectable (around six weeks), with exceptions only for medical emergencies. Wyoming becomes the fifth state with such a law. The state’s sole abortion clinic reported turning away roughly a dozen patients in the days following the signing. Pro-life advocates hailed it as a major step forward; reproductive-rights organizations criticized the early cutoff and warned of increased travel burdens for Wyoming women.
2. Tennessee “Abortion-as-Homicide” Bill Fails
A controversial proposal (sponsored by Rep. Jody Barrett and Sen. Mark Pody) that would have classified abortion as homicide—potentially carrying life imprisonment or the death penalty—died in a House subcommittee. No Republican members voted to advance it, surprising some observers and sparking protests outside the capitol. Pro-life hardliners expressed disappointment at the lack of support, while pro-choice groups called the bill’s defeat a “victory for women’s rights and common sense.”
3. Jersey (Channel Islands, UK) Expands Access to 22 Weeks
Lawmakers passed legislation raising the abortion limit from previous restrictions to 22 weeks and reducing other barriers. The new law sets a resident fee of £185 through government healthcare. UK pro-choice campaigners welcomed the move as modernizing outdated rules; local faith-based and pro-life voices voiced concern over the extended gestational window.
4. Indiana Court Strikes Down Restrictions on Religious Grounds
In a landmark ruling, Judge Christina R. Klineman found that Indiana’s abortion laws violate the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)—the first successful challenge of its kind using religious-liberty arguments. The decision could open new legal pathways for clinics and patients. Pro-life organizations warned it may significantly expand access, while religious liberty and reproductive-rights attorneys praised it as precedent-setting.
5. 2026 Ballot-Measure Battles Heat Up
Virginia: A lawsuit was filed to keep a proposed constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights off the November ballot.
Missouri: A measure to repeal the state’s 2024 abortion protections advanced in signature gathering.
Nevada and several other states remain active fronts, with KFF analysts noting that 2026 could see more voter-driven decisions on both expansion and restriction of access. Both sides are pouring resources into these campaigns.
6. Kansas Protects Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The legislature passed a bill shielding crisis pregnancy centers from certain regulatory requirements and advertising restrictions. Pro-life groups celebrated the measure as safeguarding supportive services for women; opponents argued it limits transparency for those seeking abortion information.
7. UK Catholic Leaders Oppose Decriminalization Push
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and other faith leaders intensified campaigning against clauses in the Crime and Policing Bill that would decriminalize abortion up to birth. A key vote is expected soon. This has reignited national debate on late-term procedures and the role of conscience protections.
8. National Trends and Data Notes
Medication (chemical) abortions continue to dominate (now ~63–65% of total procedures per recent tracking). Reports again linked strict state bans to measurable rises in maternal-mortality indicators and interstate travel. Advocacy organizations on both sides released updated statistics and called for federal or state-level action ahead of the mid-year legislative sessions.
The landscape remains highly polarized, with courts, legislatures, and voters all playing pivotal roles. For full details, check state legislative trackers and reports from the Guttmacher Institute and KFF.
So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:28
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In Bethel Park, Thursday night’s storm wreaked havoc across the city, knocking out power to schools and homes, but it also took down trees, leaving one family stuck and worried they wouldn’t get out. They were only able to, thanks to some strangers who decided to step in. Maggie Sheffer was behind the wheel with her…
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Federal criminal charges have been filed against a Washington state man whom authorities allege fatally shot a bald eagle in the head on his rural property, authorities said. Benjamin G. Allen of Brush Prairie in Clark County, Washington, was charged Tuesday with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and unlawfully killing a migratory…
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