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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Wichita State English professor Katie Lanning might be the greatest living expert on "Gulliver’s Travels." Well, she owns more copies than anyone we know. She tells us why on today’s "Why Should I Read This."

Plus more on these stories:

  • Wichita is seeking damages against Wichita Water Partners for its work on a new water treatment plant that is more than a year behind schedule.
  • The Wichita City Council voted unanimously yesterday morning to expand a project that allows outdoor drinking in Delano.
  • A new Amazon facility has opened for business in the Wichita area.
  • Four Republican candidates for Kansas governor have loaned their campaigns millions of dollars ahead of the August primary.
  • Soccer fans are still wondering which teams will come to Kansas City for the World Cup this summer. Organizers planned on making an announcement this spring, but that news could come sooner than expected.
  • Kansas calls to the national 988 suicide prevention hotline increased significantly over the last year.
  • When the Sundance Film Festival opens this week in Utah, a documentary about the police raid on the small-town newspaper in Marion County, Kansas, will be up for an award.
  • The Read ICT project will hold a book swap Saturday afternoon at the Evergreen branch library.

Producers: Haley Crowson and Fletcher Powell
Editors: Beth Golay and Suzanne Perez
Contributors: Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Greg Echlin, Katie Lanning, Dylan Lysen, Suzanne Perez, Sam Zeff and Laura Ziegler
Theme music: Torin Andersen
Digital editor: Haley Crowson

Fletcher Powell has worked at KMUW since 2009 as a producer, reporter, and host. He's been the host of All Things Considered since 2012 and KMUW's movie critic since 2016. He also co-hosts the PMJA-award winning show You're Saying It Wrong, which is distributed around the country on public radio stations and around the world through podcasts. Fletcher is a member of the Critics Choice Association.