Kansas lawmakers will soon return for a special session to try to reach a tax-cutting agreement with Gov. Laura Kelly. Plus: Solar power is the fastest growing source of electricity in the U.S., but some new solar installations are taking land once used to grow food. Researchers are looking for ways to do both.

Kansas lawmakers return to Topeka on June 18 for a special session on tax cuts as the state sits with billions of dollars in the bank. Kelly, a Democrat, is calling the special session after rejecting three different bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature that would have cut state income and property taxes. Daniel Caudill with the Kansas News Service reports that Kelly supports cuts, but says she wants lawmakers to pass a bill that’s less costly for the state.

America needs more renewable energy, and of course it needs food. Those two demands are on a collision course over farmland. Solar power is the fastest growing source of renewable power, but solar farms can take land out of crop production.
For Harvest Public Media, KCUR's Frank Morris reports a growing field of study is searching for ways to get calories and kilowatts off the same land.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.