HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community Foundation is encouraging area students and community organizations to take advantage of several upcoming opportunities, including scholarship applications and programs designed to strengthen communities across Reno County.

Jan Steen, who recently joined the foundation as senior program officer, shared details about the organization’s work. Steen said he has been in the role for about four months after previously working with Kansas State University as a Community Vitality specialist focused on community and economic development.

Steen, who has lived in Reno County for roughly two decades, said the position allows him to focus on improving the community where he lives.

“I worked with communities and nonprofits around the state to connect them with resources,” Steen said. “This opportunity came up to better affect where I live, see the progress where I live, and try to make things better here in Reno County.”

One of the most immediate opportunities is the foundation’s scholarship program. High school seniors have until noon on March 27 to apply for several scholarships offered directly through the Hutchinson Community Foundation.

Steen said the foundation offers five primary scholarships with varying eligibility requirements. Details and application information are available at hutchcf.org, while Hutchinson High School also administers additional scholarships in partnership with the foundation.

Beyond scholarships, Steen’s role involves working with nonprofits, volunteer groups and communities across Reno County to connect them with resources and support.

Steen highlights scholarships managed by community foundation

RICE COUNTY, Kan. — A driver was taken into custody early Saturday morning after leading law enforcement on a pursuit that began in Rice County and ended in Barton County.

According to the Rice County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was conducting traffic enforcement along U.S. Highway 56 during the early morning hours of March 14 when a vehicle was observed traveling at a high rate of speed. When the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver failed to yield to emergency lights and siren and fled westbound into Barton County.

During the pursuit, an officer with the Ellinwood Police Department deployed stop sticks, which successfully disabled the vehicle. A short time later, the driver was taken into custody without incident.

The suspect was transported to the Rice County Detention Center and is being held on multiple charges in lieu of bond.

The Rice County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Ellinwood Police Department and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance during the incident.

Authorities said no additional information will be released at this time.

Suspect arrested after early morning pursuit

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">Click here for the KSStorm.info forecast.</a>

Three-day Outlook

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT&nbsp;

TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a proclamation to kick off National Poison Prevention Week, which takes place March 15-21. The Poison Center at the University of Kansas Health System and Safe Kids Kansas want to remind Kansans that when the unexpected happens, Poison Help is here for you 24/7 with fast, free treatment advice by calling Poison Help (1-800-222-1222).

Whether it’s a question or an emergency, Poison Help can provide life-saving information when people need it most. Calling a Poison Center provides immediate, accurate information - far more reliable than searching online. Each year, an estimated 90% of poisonings occur in the home, and nearly 90% of callers who reach out from a non‑healthcare setting get the help they need right where they are - saving both time and money.

Not everyone realizes that Poison Centers are for everyone. While poison centers receive frequent calls about children and teens, the calls about adults and older adults tend to be more serious. In 2025, more than 60 percent of calls to the Kansas Poison Center involved medications or pharmaceuticals. Other frequently reported exposures included household chemicals, plants and mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide and a wide range of other non-pharmaceutical substances.

“One of the most important things you can do is to program the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, in your phone and post it visibly in your home,” said Stefanie Baines, Education Coordinator for the Kansas Poison Center. “This way, you are prepared in the event of a poisoning emergency or if you simply have questions.”

Here are the ways Poison Centers save time, worry, lives and money:

Time - When seconds count, calling a poison center is faster and more accurate than a confusing internet search.

Worry - Calls to the Poison Help Line are answered by specially trained nurses, pharmacists and physicians. Support is available in over 150 languages. Healthcare professionals turn to us for help every day.

Lives - Whether you have a question or an emergency, Poison Centers are there with life-saving information when you need it the most.

Money - All calls are free. Nearly 70 percent of people who call get the help they need right where they are – avoiding unnecessary trips to the doctor or hospital.

“Children are naturally curious and can get into everything. That’s why you can ask Poison Centers anything,” said Cherie Sage, State Coordinator for Safe Kids Kansas. “When you need it, Poison Help is here for you 24/7. No judgment – just fast, free, confidential and expert advice.”

If you think someone has been poisoned, call 1-800-222-1222 right away. Fast and free expert help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information about preventing accidental poisoning visit Kansas Poison Center and Safe Kids Kansas Poison Prevention.

When the unexpected happens, poison centers are here for you

Dear Dave, My husband and I are making great progress in paying off almost $100,000 in debt from student loans and a car loan using your debt snowball system. Our current combined income is $90,000 a year. He makes $45,000 as a teacher, and I make $45,000 as a retail assistant manager.

My husband would like to go back to school and get his master’s degree. We’ve talked about him quitting his teaching job in order to do this full-time. He’ll be able to make significantly more money with an advanced degree, and he would only be unemployed for two years. Plus, I can pick up extra hours at my job to bring in a little more money. The program will cost us about $2,500 out of pocket per semester for those two years. How do you feel about this? — Lisa

Dear Lisa, I love the way you’re both looking toward the future and trying to make better lives for yourselves. But my advice would be to wait until you’ve got your debt knocked out. Then, your husband could go back to school when you two are in a much better financial situation.

I mean, you could slow down your debt snowball and use some of that money to pay for school, but I can’t recommend it. I’ve seen too many people try to slow down, or skirt around the getting out of debt part of the Baby Steps, and next thing you know they’re still in debt—or have even more debt—four or five years down the road. They’ve lost all their momentum and fire for becoming debt-free and gaining control of their finances.

There’s really no reason for your husband to quit his job to make this happen. Lots of people, especially teachers, hold down their jobs and go back to school to further their education. It’s a pretty common thing, actually. Trying to make it on one income when you’re that deep in debt? It just sounds like a bad plan to me.

But whatever you do, please don’t borrow more money to make this happen. Cash flow it, or don’t do it.

You can hear Dave Ramsey, Monday through Friday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. on KWBW, unless it is preempted by sports coverage.&nbsp;

Dave says: Don't lose your momentum

Home sales across the Mid-Kansas region increased in February compared to the same month last year, while home prices and overall sales volume also posted significant gains.

According to the latest housing data, a total of 86 homes were sold in February, representing an 11.7% increase from the 77 homes sold in February 2025. The region also saw a sharp rise in total sales value, with $16.5 million in sales volume, up 27.2% from a year earlier.

Home prices continued their upward trend. The median sale price in February reached $167,250, compared to $136,000 during the same month last year, reflecting a notable increase in property values.

Homes also continued to move relatively quickly on the market. Properties that sold in February were typically listed for 28 days before selling, and sellers received about 99% of their original list price on average, indicating strong buyer demand.

While sales rose, the number of available homes declined. At the end of February, the Mid-Kansas region had 235 active listings, down from 261 homes available at the same time in 2025. The current inventory represents about a 1.9-month supply of homes, suggesting a tighter housing market for buyers.

The median list price of homes still on the market at the end of February was $199,000.

Activity in pending sales slowed slightly during the month. Realtors reported 108 contracts written in February, down from 116 contracts in February 2025. Despite that decline, 147 homes remained under contract and pending at the end of the month, indicating continued activity heading into the spring homebuying season.

Housing markets across Kansas often begin to pick up as spring approaches, making March and April key months for both buyers and sellers in the region.

Mid-Kansas home sales increase in February as prices continue to rise

Here’s the latest booking activity from the Reno County Jail. This information is provided by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and is not criminal history. The Hutch Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. ——————————————

Lane	Eric	Novotny		3/13/2026 10:43&nbsp;AM	DUI; 2nd conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Timmothy	Allan	Fanning		3/13/2026 1:08&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Wayne	Lewis	Farnam		3/13/2026 2:07&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Zachary	Ryan	Denoya		3/13/2026 2:15&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Monica	Lynne	Perkins		3/13/2026 3:16&nbsp;PM	DUI; 1st conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Jonathan	Nathaniel	Looney	Sr	3/13/2026 3:55&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Darin	Lynn	Ferris		3/13/2026 4:11&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Joshua	William	Kelley		3/13/2026 7:20&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Brittany	Nicole	Mcgarraugh		3/13/2026 7:21&nbsp;PM	DUI; 2nd conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Ashley	Nicole	Adkins		3/13/2026 7:50&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Emily	Elizabeth	Bailey		3/13/2026 8:23&nbsp;PM	Poss of opiate, narcotic, or certain stimulant,					Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body

Kai	Benjamin	French		3/13/2026 8:24&nbsp;PM	Agg assault; w/ deadly weapon,					Agg battery; Knowingly cause angry phys contact, stalking; Course of conduct knowing the conduct will cause fear to person or family; 2nd conviction, Criminal Threat; with Intent to Terrorize or cause Evacuation,					Kidnapping; AGGRAVATED

Carla	Delores	Green		3/13/2026 10:58&nbsp;PM	Direct Contempt

Alex	John	Mathews		3/13/2026 11:55&nbsp;PM	Poss of opiate, narcotic, or certain stimulant,					Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body

Daily Bookings

Union Pacific Railroad crews will be performing maintenance work at two railroad crossings along West Avenue D on Tuesday, March 17, which could cause intermittent traffic disruptions throughout the day.

The work will take place at the crossings located at West Avenue D and Monroe Street and West Avenue D and Madison Street. According to city officials, the project is scheduled to begin at approximately 6 a.m. and is expected to last about 12 hours.

During that time, the crossings will experience intermittent closures and flagging operations as crews complete the work. A contractor assisting Union Pacific said crews will alternate between the two crossings so that one crossing remains accessible while the other is temporarily closed or controlled by flaggers.

Drivers traveling through the area should expect periodic delays and are advised to use caution and follow directions from traffic control personnel.

Traffic volumes in the area may already be elevated due to the ongoing Woodie Seat Freeway reconstruction project, which has led to increased use of the Avenue D crossings.

Railroad crossing work to cause delays

The Harvey County Appraiser’s Office will be closed March 18-24 as it moves its offices from the Harvey County Courthouse to the County-owned building at 215 S. Pine St. in Newton.

The Appraiser’s Office anticipates reopening to the public at Pine Street in its third-floor office space March 25.

The office move overlaps with the timeline for property owners to request an appeal of their property valuations. Property owners have 30 days from the mailing date of their valuation notice to submit an appeal.

Appeals can be requested during the moving timeline by calling 316-283-8347.

The Appraiser’s Office is the last in a line of office moves to Pine Street that is targeted toward addressing space needs for the Ninth Judicial District at the Courthouse.

Departments that have previously moved include Aging, Kansas State Extension – Harvey County, the Geographic Information System office and Planning, Zoning and Environmental. The Health Department remains a long-standing tenant of the Pine Street building

Harvey County Appraisers Office to move

Community members helped collect thousands of pounds of food during a special food drive Friday at the Dillons Marketplace on East 30th Avenue in support of the Food Bank of Reno County.

During the event, shoppers and volunteers donated 2,418 pounds of food along with $778 in monetary contributions to help stock the shelves at the Food Bank’s newly opened location.

The food drive was held in partnership with Dillons as part of the celebration of the Food Bank’s new facility and its expanded ability to serve Reno County residents experiencing food insecurity.

Dillons also helped launch the effort with a $20,000 donation, providing a significant boost to the Food Bank’s mission of providing meals and essential groceries to individuals and families throughout the community.

Organizers said the food and financial donations will help the Food Bank continue meeting the needs of local residents by supplying pantry staples and other essential grocery items.

Community donates during drive for Food Bank of Reno County 

KANSAS CITY —&nbsp; Six people were injured in an accident just before 1a.m. Saturday outside a nightclub in Kansas City.

According to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez,&nbsp; a Chevrolet Impala carrying five women occupants was stopped in the streetcar lane in front of Aura,&nbsp;3832 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri,&nbsp; while speaking with a bouncer. 

At the same time, a southbound Chevrolet Malibu was traveling on Main from&nbsp;38th Street&nbsp;at a high rate of speed and rear-ended the Impala with significant force.

 All individuals involved were transported to area hospitals for treatment. A passenger in the Malibu was listed in critical condition. impairment appears to be a factor, according to Gonzalez.

KCPD: 5 women hospitalized after crash outside nightclub

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The American flag was raised Saturday over the U.S. Embassy in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/venezuela">Venezuela</a>&nbsp;for the first time since 2019, a move that highlighted the recent shift in relations between the two countries since then President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nicolas-maduro">Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;was captured by American troops in January.

Though the flag is now waving, the building is undergoing renovations and it remains unclear when it will fully reopen.

The move comes after several statements from U.S. President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/venezuela-government-supporters-holds-a-small-solidarity-march-for-iran-e54b05c4cecc45a2b9cd026d05663984">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;in support of Maduro’s successor, acting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/machado-trump-venezuela-us-chile-opposition-ddb91c7d22559c0952e4b23433d63edf">President Delcy Rodríguez</a>, who has tried to keep negotiations open with the American government.

The flag was raised “exactly seven years after it was taken down,” the U.S. Embassy team said in a statement published on its social media channels.

The American flag being raised drew immediate attention from local residents.

“It’s a good thing, really, what a joy,” said Caracas resident Luz Verónica López. “Other countries must come back too because that’s what we need; progress, to move forward with good relations with the rest of the world, as it should be.”

Alessandro Di Benedetto, another Caracas resident, noted the positive atmosphere among those witnessing the moment.

“I found several people here surprised and happy because today they raised the U.S. flag at the embassy,” he said. “This is positive; this is another step.”

Despite the initiative, large chunks of Venezuelan society and the political establishment remain critics of Trump, his decision to forcefully remove Maduro from office and jail him in New York with his wife, and growing U.S. influence in the South American country’s oil industry.

🎥American flag raised at US Embassy in Venezuela; 1st time since 2019

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A man accused of attempting to kidnap and 8-year-old in Wichita made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.

Tanner J. Warren, 27, was charged with&nbsp;attempted kidnapping and attempted interference with parental custody, according to online jail records.

Just before 11:30a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2800 block of West Central in Wichita for a reported disturbance. The caller told police that their 8-year-old had left home and was walking in the 600 block of North Gordon when a man approached her and grabbed her.

The girl was able to break free and run to her grandparents' location, who called 911.

Officers arrived quickly, located the suspect, later identified in Sedgwick County booking records as Tanner J. Warren, near North Gordon, and detained him without incident.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a bond of $40,000, according to online jail records.

Kan. man, accused of attempted abduction of 8-year-old, faces a judge

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations.

Just before 8a.m. March 9, police&nbsp;were alerted to a burglary in progress in the 1100 block of Hubbard Street in Great Bend, according to a media release.

 The reporting party advised that a woman that he did not know had entered his residence and taken several items, including a firearm. Officers began to search for the suspect with the description provided by the reporting party. 

A short time later, an officer located the suspect in the 1100 block of Holland Street in the alley way. Officers gave several commands to the suspect, who failed to comply.&nbsp; K9 Niko was deployed to subdue the suspect. 

After a successful apprehension, officers located the stolen firearm and several other stolen items. Officers arrested 41-year-old Crystal Caruthers on requested charges of Aggravated Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, and Felony Interference with Law Enforcement.  Caruthers was treated for her minor injuries by the Great Bend Fire Department Emergency Medical Services. 

Police: Kansas woman jailed after home invasion burglary

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/hannah-schoenbaum">HANNAH SCHOENBAUM</a>

PROVO, Utah (AP) — The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.

The outcome sets the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-assassination-tyler-robinson-media-e90d404b03383dec9e0d9a327b491920">Tyler Robinson</a>&nbsp;will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.

Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the heightened media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow and attorneys for news organizations have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-conservative-activist-shot-546165a8151104e0938a5e085be1e8bd">Sept. 10 shooting</a>&nbsp;of the conservative activist on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-valley-university-police-charlie-kirk-d7d464c949ec9d4abad0eb3910d6a96b">Utah Valley University</a>&nbsp;campus in Orem. They have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing.

Attorneys on Friday debated whether the defense’s written request to exclude cameras, which was classified by the court as private, should be made public.

Graf said the defense failed to make its case to keep the motion private but that he will continue “balancing all the factors” when deciding which portions of the upcoming hearing may be closed.

Staci Visser, an attorney for Robinson, told the judge before the ruling that the defense is not arguing in the court of public opinion.

“There seems to be an idea that flooding the public sphere with information from this courtroom will somehow dispel conspiracy theories or shift public narratives. That, in and of itself, is concerning to the defense,” Visser said. “All we should be worried about is protecting what happens in this courtroom.”

Robinson’s defense team went on to say that the April 17 hearing will involve discussions about prejudicial pretrial publicity, such as evidence that has yet to be admitted, personal opinions about guilt or public statements that would otherwise be inadmissible in court. Revisiting that in open court could end up “reinflicting a wound” to Robinson’s rights, defense attorney Michael Burt said.

Christopher Ballard, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dismissed those arguments. He said careful questioning during jury selection and tools like expanding the jury pool can ensure a defendant gets a fair trial.

“So just saying that this is a content tornado or there’s been a barrage of media coverage doesn’t necessarily mean that there is going to be prejudice to the defendant,” Ballard said.

Ballard noted that most of the evidence that will be discussed in April is already public, so most of the hearing should be open.

Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, have been fighting to preserve media access in the case. Michael Judd, an attorney for the news media, urged the judge to keep the upcoming hearing entirely open.

Media access has been a focal point of several recent hearings, with the judge placing temporary restrictions on local TV stations for showing Robinson’s shackles in violation of a court order and filming close-up shots that might allow viewers to interpret what he was discussing with his attorneys.

The judge also has prevented full&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-biased-jurors-robinson-video-40d48c3427590c45c8b5e67517a117ef">video recordings of Kirk’s shooting</a>&nbsp;from being shown in court after defense attorneys argued the graphic footage would interfere with a fair trial. An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-turning-point-trump-cf2a68e4303c5628299ffe383d09c1e9">steer young voters toward conservatism</a>.

Judge issues new ruling on media access in Charlie Kirk killing case

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach launched a statewide public awareness campaign to address the growing fentanyl crisis that is taking a devastating toll on our communities.

More than 1,500 Kansans have already lost their lives to fentanyl overdoses, and the threat continues to rise. This deadly drug is not only consumed by those who seek it out, but is increasingly laced into other substances, a social event, with friends, online, or unknowingly consuming pills that contain fentanyl. Since an overdose can happen anywhere at any time, it’s critical to have easy access to Naloxone to save a life.

Each distribution box contains naloxone -&nbsp;2 doses per box.

To maximize access, we have collaborated with 40 colleges and universities across Kansas to place these boxes in visible, public, temperature-controlled locations where community members could easily find and use them.

Every host site receives ongoing support, including box refills and assistance asneeded,&nbsp;from the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and DCCA. Throughout the program, Emily’s Hope tracks distribution data toevaluate impact and guide future efforts.

<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/reports-resources/emily-s-hope-naloxone-distribution-program?fbclid=IwY2xjawQdBilleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCZGtWNnBXaHREREJCdmZhc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmrKcrsqrxJ1He_Glz-i0Gt229RZ6DnW96Wtt3oIlyUu_BDZtLwS4cgBKoZB_aem_gsRusthn-mjqRIEqfF55HA">Click here to</a> find a box near you.

Kansas AG's statewide campaign to address the growing fentanyl crisis

KANSAS CITY – A Missouri man has been indicted with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information.&nbsp; The indictment was returned by a grand jury under seal and was made public this week after the arrest and initial appearance of the defendant, according to the United State's Attorney.

Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in Iraq during the time frame alleged in the indictment.&nbsp;The indictment states that, as part of his duties, he held a security clearance that authorized him to view classified material up to a TOP SECRET level and therefore had access to national defense and classified information.

According to court documents, on two separate occasions, the defendant willfully transmitted SECRET level documents to two separate individuals who were not entitled or authorized to receive it.&nbsp; 

The first transmission occurred on Dec. 10, 2022, when the defendant transmitted a white paper containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents and was sent to an individual in Maryland.&nbsp; The second transmission of a document containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents occurred on April 20, 2023, and was sent to an individual believed to be in the People’s Republic of China.

If convicted, under federal statutes, Chambers is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on each count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher and Trial Attorneys Nicolas Hunter and Sean O’Dowd of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. It was investigated by FBI Kansas City Field Office.&nbsp;

Former U.S. intelligence analyst accused of sending classified info to China

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jaimie-ding">JAIMIE DING</a>

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Math nerds and dessert enthusiasts unite to celebrate Pi Day every March 14, the date that represents the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi.

Representing the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, pi is approximately equal to 3.14159 — but its digits go on forever. In school, you might have used it to calculate the area of a circle or the volume of a cylinder. But the applications of pi are endless and part of every corner of our world.

The holiday was created in 1988 by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco.

“He had a very open and expansive view of the world and saw an opportunity with this number, mathematical concept, to invite people into the joy of mathematical learning,” said Sam Sharkland, program director of public programs at the museum, who worked with Shaw before he died in 2017.

While it began as a small staff celebration featuring pie, it soon turned into a grand procession where hundreds of visitors marched around the pi shrine, each carrying a digit. Attendees often show up early to claim their favorite digit for the parade. One woman who has the symbol tattooed on her neck comes every year and marches near the front with a pi flag, Sharkland said.

The celebration begins at 1:59 p.m., signifying the next three digits of pi.

Here are a few ways pi is being used on the cutting edge of science.

In Artur Davoyan’s field of mechanical and aerospace engineering, pi is so fundamental that it would be hard to pinpoint one use case for it, he said.

Pi is part of “literally every single formula that you would use to do any calculation, like for spacecraft motion, for materials and how they work, or propulsion systems,” said Davoyan, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Anything that is round or has cyclical or repeating properties — such as radio waves — involves pi. Even squares or irregular blobs can be broken down into a series of progressively smaller circles and calculated using pi, Davoyan said.

Davoyan’s research looks at how to create new propulsion systems to send spacecrafts more quickly to the far reaches of the solar system to gather and send back information to Earth. He pointed to NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2, which launched in 1977 but didn’t reach interstellar space until 2012 and 2018.

To send a signal to those space probes, NASA must calculate Earth’s exact position in orbit around the sun and design antennas for communication using pi. Then scientists use pi once more when receiving and breaking down complex signals that are being beamed back to Earth.

“Say aliens send something to us, something that we don’t know how to deal with,” Davoyan said. “So the very first thing that you would do, you would try to split it into simple functions... and turns out that when you do this operation, you will naturally have pis in it.”

Pi also comes up frequently when studying small amounts of fluids.

Dino Di Carlo, chair of the bioengineering department at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, conducts research that involves creating little particles out of polymers that act as tiny test tubes for cells. This is used as an important tool to examine cells closely and learn about their functions and what’s inside them.

The pi constant is used in calculating how to form those droplets, surface tension calculations that define how droplets can break up, and how researchers can control the size of those volumes, Di Carlo said.

Di Carlo is using this technique to find antibodies — small proteins that fight diseases in your body — that could block signals put out by cancer cells.

Pi is also an important part of calculations when looking at how liquids flow through tubes and barriers. One example is when the fluid sample slowly flows sideways in a take-home COVID-19 test.

Di Carlo used these properties to devise a new test for Lyme disease that can be completed in 20 minutes, rather than days or weeks like previously.

“As an engineer and scientist, (pi) is just a part of life,” Di Carlo said. “Maybe I’ve taken it for granted.”

Pi Day 2026: How the number pi is embedded in our lives

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA —&nbsp;Advocates, medical providers and recipients of public assistance programs rallied Thursday at the Statehouse with a clear message: restricting access to these programs would hurt Kansans.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb363/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 363</a>&nbsp;imposes a&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/10/kansas-senate-bill-may-add-17m-to-oversight-of-health-and-welfare-programs/">sweeping set of steps</a>&nbsp;to verify Kansans’ eligibility for the state’s medical and food assistance programs. April Holman, executive director for Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, said opponents disapprove of the whole bill, but have stronger concerns for two elements.&nbsp;

The first is eliminating self-attestation. That means applicants no longer could self-attest their income, residency, age, household composition, caretaker relative status or other coverage. State agencies would have to verify those claims.

Income and residency are already verified by state agencies, but Holman said the bill would ask the agencies to verify things like household size, which she said are difficult to identify.&nbsp;

“The first is the self-attestation, the prohibition,” Holman said. “The second tends to be the thing that we are most concerned about.”&nbsp;

The second thing is the quarterly redetermination process, a switch-up from the current one-year reapplication.&nbsp;

“We know that all of the people who are in the Medicaid program in Kansas, because we don’t have expansion, tend to be very vulnerable,” Holman said. “They are people who have a disability that’s been determined by the Social Security Administration. So it’s very difficult to get determination.”

Amendments to the bill would exempt pregnant people, seniors, those younger than 19 years old, and those on home and community-based service waivers from the quarterly redetermination.&nbsp;

The bill still applies to people with mental illness.&nbsp;

Angela Watson, a mental health provider from Wichita who spoke at the rally, said she is a Medicaid success story. She was on Medicaid for 13 years.

“This proposal to move Medicaid eligibility checks to quarterly redeterminations may sound like a single administrative change,” Watson said. “For people living with serious mental illness, it has the potential to create very harmful consequences.”&nbsp;

She said the red tape of managing paperwork can be difficult for people with severe depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis or delusions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Changing this process to every three months means quadrupling the chances that someone will lose coverage simply because a form was missed, a letter arrived late, or a document wasn’t submitted in time,” Watson said.&nbsp;

“This doesn’t mean they’re no longer eligible. It means they got lost in the system,” she added. “And when people lose Medicaid coverage, even temporarily, the consequences are immediate. Mental health treatment depends on continuity of care.”

Kari Rinker, who represents the American Heart Association, said she has a masters degree and has spent years navigating paperwork. She helped her son fill out the public assistance programs’ paperwork after he suffered a life-altering car crash.&nbsp;

“I found myself overwhelmed,” Rinker said. “It is complex. We would receive paperwork well past deadlines and feel abject panic.”

Her son would be subject to the quarterly redeterminations.&nbsp;

After the rally, opponents of the bill flooded Thursday’s House Welfare Reform Committee.&nbsp;

Along with ending self-attestation and implementing quarterly redeterminations, the bill would:&nbsp;

The process would cost the state an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb363_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">$17 million</a>. Republicans in both the Senate and House raised their eyebrows at that.&nbsp;

The Florida-based FGA Action, the lobbying arm of the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability, which is dedicated to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387527/fga-foundation-for-government-accountability-states-snap-work-requirements" target="_blank">limiting government benefits</a>, brought forward the sole two proponents of the bill — who said it would eventually pay for itself. They also said it would bring Kansas in step with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“That’s not the case,” Holman said.&nbsp;

Holman said federal law would control what happens in Kansas regardless of if it is codified in Kansas law. But she said there are two elements of the bill that go beyond federal law that would hurt both Kansans on public assistance programs and the departments that administer those.&nbsp;

In an interview, vice chair of the House committee Rep. Dale Helwig, a Republican from Columbus, said he believes the bill brings Kansas into compliance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is also called H.R. 1.&nbsp;

“There are some things that probably are a little more restrictive than H.R. 1, which we need to work through, but I think we will. We do need to get rid of the self attestation on some of this stuff,” Helwig said.&nbsp;

He pointed to the recent state audit that estimated Kansas subsidized&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/20/kansas-house-studies-free-lunch-enrollment-audit-implications-of-at-risk-overpayment-to-schools/">a jarring amount</a>&nbsp;of free-and-reduced lunches that shouldn’t have been.&nbsp;

Rep. Clarke Sanders, a Republican from Salina also on the House Welfare Reform Committee, said he isn’t a fan of self-attestation either.&nbsp;

“The problem, of course, is that’s gonna take more people to get that done. And we probably don’t have enough as it is now,” Sanders said in an interview.&nbsp;

Both are apprehensive about the quarterly redetermination process for different reasons. Helwig said it could be more efficient — there was a five-minute long conversation during the committee about state agencies’ use of fax machines.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sanders thinks redetermination once a year is enough. He thinks there will be amendments proposed when the committee works the bill.&nbsp;

“I think once those get on, I’ll be able to support it,” Sanders said.&nbsp;

Kansans rally against restrictions to public assistance programs 

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/david-a-lieb">DAVID A. LIEB</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/mark-scolforo">MARK SCOLFORO</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/julie-walker">JULIE WALKER</a> Associated Press

A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-tanker-aircraft-crash-iraq-kc135-c337359a58be6280dc96fdbf1cb48a5b">crashed in Iraq</a>&nbsp;this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday.

Alex Klinner, 33, leaves behind three small children: 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said Saturday while confirming his death.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking to say: He was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot — like a lot,” Harrill said.

Also aboard the aircraft was an Ohio man whose loved ones remembered him for his smile, his parents said.

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