Several small Kansas cities are hosting unique Independence Day celebrations this year. Events include bloodless bullfighting, a Wild West re-enactment, and a military rock band performance. Read more: CJonline

A community college’s taxing district is established and limited by statute. The Legislature has not granted community colleges the authority to remove or transfer territory from one community college district to another. If one of the two community colleges in Montgomery County closed, the other one cannot absorb the closed college’s taxing district because no statutory mechanism exists to do so. Once a community college closes, its taxing district no longer exists, and the territory within that taxing district is no longer be part of a community college district. Another community college could seek to add territory from the defunct community [...]

The throngs of Dutch fans that flooded Kansas City and its suburbs this past week got a taste of day-to-day life in the U.S., reigniting a long-running trans-Atlantic debate: Who lives better, Americans or Europeans? Read more: Wall Street Journal

The City of Garden City has announced the promotion of Fred Jones to the position of Public Works and Utilities Director. Jones has served as the City’s Water Resource Manager since 2013. He will assume his new title and responsibilities immediately, working in tandem with retiring Public Works and Utilities Director Mike Muirhead through Muirhead’s retirement on Aug. 1. In his new capacity, Jones will oversee a collection of departments that include electric, water, wastewater, solid waste, traffic, streets, fleet, stormwater and water reuse. Read more: Garden City Telegram

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded a $65,000 grant to the historic Kanopolis Drive-In Theatre to support the purchase of a new state-of-the-art digital projection system. This funding will ensure that the beloved outdoor theater continues to operate for years to come. “There’s always value in preserving our historic infrastructure, but especially when it serves as an economic engine for a community,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The Kanopolis Drive-In is a beloved, one-of-a-kind destination, and this investment will help to create more lasting memories [...]

The new “2026 State of Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County Report” from the Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County was recently released, revealing that the growing affordability crisis for local households is contributing to an increase in homelessness. More than one in three households (38%) in Sedgwick County were living paycheck to paycheck in 2024, according to United for ALICE in partnership with United Way of the Plains. ALICE (which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) represents working households who earn above the federal poverty line but not enough to cover the cost of basic necessities. As the costs of [...]

When a fire destroyed her hometown’s only grocery store in January 2024, Marjory James felt a loss of independence. Like other residents of her rural west Kansas town, James — who turns 99 years old on July 7 — faced a harsh reality: Travel 23 miles one-way from Dighton to the grocery store in Scott City or get by with less-healthy and less-available items from the local variety store or gas station. Through a gargantuan effort by the community, Dighton will open an 8,000-square foot grocery store on June 27, spurred by the Lane County Community Foundation and with assistance from [...]

After initial discussions regarding data centers, Riley County commissioners on Monday still weren’t ready to provide any direction on the future of those facilities in the area. “The more I learn about this, the more I’m just confused,” commissioner John Ford said. “It literally changes on a dime. You figure out one thing, and then it changes. There’s so much depth to it. It’s insane.” While the data center topic heats up in Kansas, including a proposal in Pottawatomie County, Riley County is in the midst of a six-month moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage centers. That moratorium is [...]

The Emporia City Commission spent more than an hour Wednesday discussing a proposed Large Volume Water Service policy designed to protect existing water customers while establishing rules for future industrial users with high water demands. Read more: www.emporiagazette.com/*

The Hutchinson Planning Commission began its work on long-term zoning regulations for large-scale data centers Tuesday by laying out the process and timeline for developing those regulations. Director of Community Development Matt Williams said the Hutchinson City Council will hear the planning commission’s June 9 recommendation during the Tuesday, July 7, council meeting. The recommendation was to require conditional use permits for data centers and utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in commercial and industrial zoning districts and ban them in residential districts. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune