In Kansas News
Panasonic’s massive battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, is slated for a grand opening today (MON). But news has surfaced that there could be delays as production ramps up. Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service reports.
International outlet Nikkei Asia reported the factory has postponed its target to be at full capacity by spring 2027.
A spokesperson for Panasonic did not confirm the report or say whether plans for staffing have changed.
It’s a tough time to be in the electric vehicle industry. Tesla sales are down. Auto tariffs are still in flux. And electric vehicle tax credits will end in September.
Panasonic says production is already underway and it always expected to grow in response to demand.
For the Kansas News Service, I’m Zane Irwin.
By 2060, Kansas City summers will likely feel like summers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, today.
And people in Topeka and Wichita will feel like they live in Texas.
That’s according to Climate Central, a nonprofit focused on helping the public understand global warming.Joe Wheelock manages a tree-planting program in Kansas City called the Heartland Tree Alliance.
He says many neighborhoods need more trees planted now to handle the future
“ So we’re kind of behind the game already. So it’s as much planting and establishment as we can get – so that way, when Kansas City feels more like Tulsa, neighborhoods are green.”
The group is helping plant thousands of trees in marginalized neighborhoods of Kansas City, Missouri.
And in Missouri News
Missouri House lawmakers want to be more proactive on complex issues.
The House Future Caucus formed to examine things like the rise in artificial intelligence and disaster preparedness. The five-person caucus wants to seek out experts and hold hearings on those issues before they turn into legislation.
Democratic state Rep. Marty Joe Murray of St. Louis says there’s a lot of benefit to the Future Caucus’ approach.
“We can spend a little bit more time to bring the you know, the subject matter experts in have those deep dive public hearings to where we can really talk about things and not have all those external factors putting pressure on us.”
You can hear more about the Future Caucus on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air by going to stlpr.org.
Springfield, MO has fewer trees following severe weather in spring and early summer. But regular maintenance work can help protect trees from falling during high winds. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.
0714Trees TRT: 1:24
In early May, just after the April 29 severe weather that caused damage in southwest Missouri, including Springfield, then Springfield Interim City Manager Colin Quigley told City Council the storm toppled at least 1200 trees in the city limits.
Severe weather since then has felled even more trees.
Travis Stokes is an arborist for the City of Springfield. He says, on June 29, an estimated 230 trees fell city wide.
But Stokes believes trees in city rights-of-way were largely spared due to regular maintenance the city does to them as part of their Tree City USA designation. And, he says, they plant hundreds of new trees each year -- many are natives like dogwood and redbud.
He credits Springfield’s Tree Board, which he says does a great job advising city council on the needs.
Stokes recommends private landowners contact a certified arborist about doing an assessment to determine work that needs to be done on their trees. He says removing excess dead weight in the canopy can help prevent a tree from falling during storms