Daily
Topeka
Friday, May 16th, 2025
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Good morning, Topeka. Here's your local news at a glance for Friday, the 16th of May.
COMMUNITY NEWS
- ➤ Community Action and Junior League of Topeka operate a Period Pantry during Period Poverty Awareness Week, offering 25 menstrual products a month to eligible Shawnee County residents. The program assists those who note the cost of sanitary products as a burden—clients must provide a government-issued photo ID. WIBW
- ➤ Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries is partnering with local food pantries to help people struggling with food insecurity—TRM CEO LaManda Cunningham and deputy director John Roberts visited Eye on NE Kansas and noted that rising demand has left many sites with low supplies. WIBW
BUSINESS NEWS
- ➤ Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant, Topeka’s oldest and largest craft brewery, is celebrating 30 years with a parking lot party tomorrow starting at noon. The event features live music by Chance Encounter, a special anniversary beer on tap and throwback food specials including spinach and artichoke dip and a BT club grill sandwich — a key milestone for the business. WIBW
CRIME NEWS
- ➤ Topeka Police say a person was shot near 17th and Gage on Thursday at about 3:30 p.m., with the victim going to a hospital on their own for non-life threatening injuries and police reporting no public threat as the investigation continues. WIBW
- ➤ A Topeka man, Steven M. Rule, 39, was taken into custody at 4:30 a.m. on May 13 for a stolen vehicle investigation in Shawnee County — two others were arrested after a gray Hyundai Sonata crashed on April 24 near Topeka. WIBW
CULTURE NEWS
- ➤ On May 15, Shawnee County’s Ward-Meade Botanical Garden was named a Peony Reference Garden by the American Peony Society & became one of eight gardens nationally honored for its peony cultivation, with county leaders holding a dedication ceremony at Old Prairie Town. WIBW
DRINK NEWS
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EDUCATION NEWS
- ➤ Administrators at five state universities proposed tuition increases of 2.5% to 4% for in-state undergraduates for the next academic year while Emporia State requested no change amid enrollment declines. University leaders cited factors such as a drop in international students, flat state funding, and rising costs — challenges that have affected budgets across campuses. WIBW
GOVERNMENT NEWS
- ➤ The Topeka Housing Authority received a $14,000 gift from Security Benefit to help low-income families cover medical and dental costs at Pine Ridge Family Health Center. The donation gives $10,000 for these expenses and $4,000 for scholarships to send 40 public housing kids to Deer Creek Summer Camp — which also supports Washburn University Nursing training. WIBW
- ➤ Shawnee County Parks and Recreation said Jackson Spray Park will remain closed because vandals damaged the site over winter — officials noted repairs are still underway. County officials added Dornwood Spray Park will open Saturday, May 17 — pools and aquatic centers will open Saturday, May 24. WIBW
- ➤ The City of Topeka announced that the SW 6th Ave and MacVicar intersection is fully open to traffic. Officials said the project reconfigured the southbound lanes of MacVicar Ave to create dual left turn lanes—allowing all turning movements. WIBW
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Boxing Event
5-6 p.m. — GreatLIFE Performance Center — Cost info not provided — Experience the thrill of boxing at this local venue.
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2025 Heartland Classic Peruvian Horse Show
1:00 PM – 12:59 PM — Stormont Vail Events Center — Entry fee varies — Experience the elegance and competition of Peruvian horses in Topeka's premier equine event.
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Envista Eats & Beats
6-9 p.m. — Evergy Plaza — Free entry — Experience vibrant live music and local flavors every Thursday evening in downtown Topeka.
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2025 GermanFest Brat Trot
8-9 a.m. — Santa Fe Park — $30 — Celebrate German culture while fundraising for local schools with a fun 5K Brat Trot run.
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Aldersgate Village On-Site Tour
9 AM - 7 PM — Aldersgate Village Life Plan Community — Free entry — Explore a faith-based retirement community focused on quality living and care.
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Concert for a Child Featuring Logan Mize
6-10 p.m. — Evergy Plaza — Free entry — Enjoy a heartwarming night of country tunes at this community concert for a great cause.
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TODAY'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.
~ Alfred Adler
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