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Federal Reserve officials at their March meeting still expected to lower interest rates this year, even with a high level of uncertainty from the Iran war and tariffs, according to minutes released Wednesday. Most of the participants said the war could result in the need for easier monetary policy if rising gas prices hit the labor market and consumer wallets. Read more: CNBC Bonds

On Monday morning, the Cosmosphere welcomed U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, along with current NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Gerry Griffin. The visit began with a private tour of the Cosmosphere’s campus and ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Hall of Space Museum. President and CEO of the Cosmosphere, Jim Remar, began by pointing out the Apollo 13 spacecraft that sits in the Hall of Space Museum, appreciating the correlation between that module and the positioning of the current Integrity Spacecraft, which is preparing to travel around the dark side of the moon.  Read more: Ad Astra Radio

At the annual meeting of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, one issue rose above the rest: water. From the declining Ogallala Aquifer to increasing urban demand and emerging technologies, panelists painted a complex—and urgent—picture of agriculture’s future. The discussion brought together farmers, policy experts, and industry leaders to examine how water scarcity is reshaping agriculture across the Midwest and Southwest. Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe

The city of Emporia is currently accepting applications for its Civic Leadership Institute Program, which gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of different city departments. Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

The City of Emporia announced the departure of Deputy City Manager Mark Detter on Tuesday. Detter will be leaving Emporia to pursue an opportunity as city administrator of Rose Hill, Kansas, a town of approximately 4,185 people located in Butler County, southwest of Wichita. He has served as deputy city manager for the city of Emporia since his hiring in April 2023. “I’ve really appreciated my time in Emporia, and I’m looking forward to my new opportunity in Rose Hill,” Detter said. Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

The City of Overland Park voted 11-1 on a motion to amend an ordinance that kick starts an affordable homes project all around the city. Before presenting this to the city council, the planning commission voted on the “Portfolio Homes Development – Pilot Program” 8-2. Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

This week, a century ago, The Halstead Independent published a piece about the city’s war against “the yellow peril.” Halstead’s Committee of Child Welfare placed a bounty on this peril and organized a citywide effort to eradicate the dent-de-Lion, the lion’s tooth, the common dandelion. “The slaughtered will be weighed and the price paid in cash,” it stated about the city dandelion bounty. Pickers earned 1 cent per pound of dandelion plants picked. “Now, all together to make Halstead the Town Without a Dandelion,” the article stated. That name never quite took. Despite children scouring the city’s yards and alleys for [...]

Brandon So isn’t a stranger to Sedgwick, having served as a part-time police officer since the beginning of 2025, but there’s a good reason why residents are seeing a lot more of him lately. So joined the Sedgwick Police Department full-time in December. So far, So likes working in Sedgwick. “I’ve met more supportive people here than I ever did in Newton,” So said. “It seems like everyone is very caring about their police department now and the fact that we’ve been able to turn it around so well. It’s very, very positive with the community.” Read more: Harvey County Now

Hays Deputy City Manager Collin Bielser told City Commissioners last week that he has already directed staff to take a more approach to budgeting for next year in light of current economic uncertainties. “I think Department Heads and employees already do the critically, creative, collaborative approach really well. But depending on what happens with all the economic situations and the uncertainty of property taxes, we will need to be a little more mindful than we have needed to be before,” said Deputy City Manager Bielser. He reminded Commissioners that Hays, unlike nearly any other Kansas municipality is not property tax funded [...]

Overland Park hopes a short-term revision to its development codes will jumpstart its small-scale housing pilot program. The temporary amendment will allow up to 12 projects to move forward using home designs in the city’s new Portfolio Homes program. The exact sites are unclear, but the emphasis is on sites that are ripe for redevelopment or may be hard to build in a typical residential project. The pilot program was originally designed to make it easier to build a wider variety of housing options at less expensive price points — often called “missing middle” housing — amid a widening housing shortage. [...]