City employees working above ground demonstrated how they use a PS4 video game controller to navigate a rover as it goes through sewers while providing closed-circuit TV images of whatever it encounters. Read more: CJonline

For developers wanting to stay within Goddard, the primary benefit of planning duplexes and twin homes in this designated growth area is that these projects won’t be subject to a key component of Goddard’s new duplex regulations, the ones that prohibit more than 40% of any future development needing rezoning to be duplexes. Read more: Wichita Eagle

The utility will seek approval for a new natural gas plant, a solar farm, and a battery storage facility. CEO David Campbell stated that Kansas is a "premier destination" for data centers, driving significant load growth. Read more: CJonline

Mayor Spencer Duncan said the city’s current flood plan is far more advanced than in 1903 and 1951 because of those learning experiences and a comprehensive approach that integrates levees, creek maintenance, pump stations, neighborhood drainage, wastewater systems and long-term capital planning. Read more: CJonline

Administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, SEED grants are available to communities in 78 eligible counties, with populations of 5,000 or fewer. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded in the following categories: Childcare and Senior Programming– Projects that support or enhance services, such as building improvements, educational materials, supplies and equipment Community Vibrancy– Projects that re-energize and beautify rural communities through public art, signage and placemaking initiatives Food Retail– Projects that increase access to food through new, expanded or renovated retail spaces Libraries– Projects that expand access to information and community resources through reading materials, technology upgrades, furnishings [...]

The company announced Thursday that it will reduce its default data retention window from 30 to seven days, cutting the amount of time data will sit in Flock’s systems. Agencies can still change the retention period in coordination with state or local policy. Read more: KSN-TV

City officials in Topeka are getting involved in an ongoing lawsuit between a local Indian tribe and the state lottery. The Topeka City Council voted in favor of intervening in an ongoing lawsuit between Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the state of Kansas on Aug. 11. The governing body passed a resolution to step into the lawsuit “to protect the City’s interests” as the nation is allegedly trying to expand the boundaries of its reservation. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in early July this year. The nation alleged [...]

The Topeka City Council voted to amend the language used in a one-year moratorium for data centers to restrict utility connections for these types of projects. The new amended language includes the restriction of utility connections inside and outside of city limits for data centers. City officials said this is necessary to prevent administrative exceptions that would allow staff to extend utility services outside of city limits to serve as a data center. Read more: KSNT 27 News

Kansas Tourism has announced that applications for the Attraction Development Grants program will open August 17. The program is designed to provide funding support for the development of new tourism attractions or the enhancement of existing attractions that encourage travel to and throughout Kansas. A total of $1 million will be granted during this round. The deadline for applications is October 16, 2026.  Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

Not many country folks want to become city folks. At least, that’s what Pottawatomie County leaders learned in 2019 when they asked residents of the Green Valley area whether they wanted to incorporate and create an independent town. At that time, 70% of residents said they didn’t want to form a new city, and 70% said they didn’t want Manhattan to annex Green Valley, either. But the area directly east of Manhattan, roughly the southern part of Blue Township, continues to grow. The population of Blue Township has risen from 4,926 in 2020 to an estimated 5,541 in 2026, an increase [...]