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This past March, a wildfire caused by high winds and a smoldering brush pile tore through 130 acres in Yates Center, consuming the Yates Center Health and Rehabilitation Center, a senior living facility, and causing nearly $5 million in damage. All residents were safely evacuated, but their home burned to the ground. Dense stands of eastern red cedar trees near the building provided ample kindling for the blaze. “The fire jumped the road and got into the cedars,” Yates Center Fire Chief Brandon Gaulding told KOAM News. “It went through the cedars so fast that by the time we got to [...]

While much of the headlines have been toward the news the Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Kansas in 2031, a theme park based on Mattel products like Barbie and Hot Wheels also is in the works in Wyandotte County. A theme park spotlighting famous toys including the Barbie brand and Hot Wheels is slated to come to Kansas powered by the state’s sales tax incentive for major developments. Bonner Springs officials in October approved a large tax incentive package to help the $540 million development of Mattel Adventure Park in Wyandotte County. The park will be built near an entertainment [...]

Crawford County IT Director Brandon Spaur presented the commissioners with the annual VMware maintenance renewal with a substantial increase in cost. In past years, the annual cost for cyber protection was $1,000 — this year, it skyrocketed to $13,680. Spaur said that one reason for the increase was the purchase of VMware by a larger corporation, BroadCloud, that requires a minimum core count purchase of 190. The county has only required 32. Core count is the amount of processing cores in a CPU and is an indication of how many tasks the CPU can handle simultaneously. Read more: -Morning Sun

The $4 billion development anchored by a Kansas City Chiefs stadium will be made possible by a mammoth incentive district that spans two counties and will divert new sales tax revenue generated there for years to come. A preliminary version of the Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR bond, district published by the Kansas Department of Commerce shows that essentially all of Wyandotte County and a broad swath of Johnson County will be included. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Kansas lawmakers and the Kansas City Chiefs announced an agreement Monday to move the football team’s facilities to the Sunflower State using a controversial funding mechanism called STAR bonds. The Kansas City, Kansas, stadium; Olathe headquarters and practice facility; and other development are expected to cost at least $4 billion. Wyandotte and Johnson county taxpayers, as well as visitors to the facilities, can expect their sales tax dollars to go toward these projects for decades to come. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Two separate fires on Sunday night and Monday morning left five Kansas City, Kansas, firefighters hospitalized with injuries. Tuesday, the last two who had remained hospitalized were released. The firefighters all sustained serious injuries after the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department responded to two separate second alarm structure fires within 12 hours, according to a news release from the department, including one in which three firefighters were hurt when the floor beneath them collapsed. Read more: Kansas City Star

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will hold a work session on an updated draft affordable housing incentive policy that aims to increase development to meet the community’s needs and clarify the process, requirements and more for developers seeking city funds. Some projects receive funding through the city’s affordable housing trust fund, which comes from a special city sales tax. Lawrence voters in November 2024 approved doubling the affordable housing sales tax to one penny for every $20 spent in town. The funds have supported numerous projects over the past several years. Read more: The Lawrence Times

Newton residents are far more satisfied with their City than their regional and national peers. Yet they also have a lower opinion of their city. That’s according to the results of a city-wide survey conducted by Olsson Associates as part of Newton’s project to create a new comprehensive plan (Newton Next). Read more: Harvey County Now

On Dec. 26, at approx. 1:30 p.m., Bentley Police Chief Tim Bryan was flagged down by an area resident, who related that there was an injured owl on his property. The man stated that the large owl could still fly a small distance and that hawks were beginning to attack it, sensing its ill health. The Bentley Police Department helped a resident with an injured owl and transported it to safety. The owl was located at the edge of a field near 16100 W 109th St. N. As the closest available game warden was in Sumner County, Bryan captured the bird, [...]

As the chapter closes on an installment of local politics, David Kauffman feels honored and blessed to have been involved in the city government of Hesston. After 16 years as mayor, Kauffman did not run for re-election for the next term, opening the door for Susan Swartzendruber to take up the mantle. The mayoral position in Hesston does not have voting power, unless a tie needs to be broken; rather, it’s a position that stresses the procedural aspects of the monthly meetings. Before being mayor, Kauffman was elected to the city council. Read more: Harvey County Now