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When Gallery Mostaza came to downtown Newton, promoters of the city’s core hoped to have scored a coup. The hand-thrown pottery store had a history of drawing crowds to Harper, Kansas, with its events. Yet the question remained: could it do the same in Newton? Anecdotally, that answer following its October pumpkin event was very much yes. The store sold a huge amount of goods, saw lines at opening, and resulted in a downtown that looked much fuller than normal. Businesses reported upticks. With its big Christmas event scheduled, businesses in the downtown organized and remained open for their own events. [...]

A program that gives property tax relief to eligible low-income homeowners in Johnson County is headed for a major expansion that is intended to open it up to more people next year. County commissioners last Thursday voted to remove the 65-and-older age restriction and disabled veteran requirement while also increasing the maximum home value to qualify for the county property tax relief program. A qualifying home’s value can now be no more than $500,000 next year, an increase from $384,600 currently. However, the income eligibility remains at or below the “very low” benchmarks set by the federal Department of Housing and [...]

When the city of Gardner in eastern Kansas ordered Aspen Place apartments closed for unsafe living conditions last May, Candice Montgomery came home to a frantic neighborhood. She and other residents of the Gardner housing complex only had 48 hours to leave their homes. “It was total chaos,” Montgomery said. “My neighbors are everywhere, people are crying. My elderly neighbors didn’t know what they were going to do.” Gardner officials had warned the owners of the property dozens of times that the apartments were not safe, largely because of water and sewage issues. The final straw came when a firetruck sank into a street in [...]

A new pharmacy residency program is being developed at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas with the goal of training and retaining pharmacists in rural communities. The community-based, postgraduate year one residency is currently working toward accreditation through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

As last-minute shoppers crowd Wichita stores before Christmas, police are stepping up patrols, which includes officers on horseback as part of an effort to crack down on shoplifting. Mounted officers can see over crowds, spot suspicious behavior faster, and respond quickly if someone tries to make a run for it. While some shoppers are rushing from store to store, others are stopping to notice something a little different. “Our kids love animals. When they were pulling in, we saw them, and we said, ‘Hey kids, look at the horses,'” said Rader. Those horses belong to the WPD’s mounted patrol unit. They [...]

The Morton County attorney and the county commissioners want a new sheriff in town. County Attorney David Thompson and the Board of County Commissioners released a joint statement Thursday saying Sheriff Thad Earls and his staff have refused to resign. So they want the attorney general to step in and force Earls out of office. The officials said in a news release that their grounds for the ouster are misconduct and neglect of duty. Read more: KSN-TV

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency declaration impacting the entirety of the Sunflower State. Kelly issued the declaration for all 105 counties in Kansas on Dec. 17. She cited delays in the delivery of propane for heating purposes as the cause for the declaration. “As every Kansan knows, our winters can become dangerously cold at times,” Kelly said. “We want to make sure every person has access to a steady supply of heating fuel throughout the winter months, particularly those in rural areas who depend on propane to warm their homes.” Read more: KSN-TV

Marion is now considering changing a city logo it has used in one form or another for a couple of decades. The city is asking members of the public to create their own designs and submit them by the end of January to a city logo design competition. “Maybe it’s time to do something fresher,” economic development director Megan Jones said. Read more: Marion County RECORD

President Donald Trump took the first step Thursday to reclassify marijuana, but the move won’t affect Kansans unless the state changes its laws, a law enforcement professional said. Trump signed an executive order to drop marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act to a Schedule III drug. In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended the change, indicating marijuana has medical use. The change doesn’t take immediate effect on the federal level, but it will not affect Kansans unless laws are changed, said Ed Klumpp, a retired Topeka police chief and a lobbyist for the Kansas Peace [...]

School board officials for USD 247 agreed to close Southeast Elementary School in Weir at the end of the 2025-26 school year, according to the Pittsburg Morning Sun. A dropping enrollment coupled with projected renovations in excess of $750,000 to the 109-year-old school, prompted the decision. A public hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue was held at the district’s high school in Cherokee. Ten attended. The population of Weir, which is southwest of Pittsburg, is about 560. Read more: The Iola Register