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Kansas Court of Appeals judges have upheld the City of Lawrence’s ordinance intended to ensure voucher recipients can secure housing, finding that “State and local governments have a legitimate interest in protecting the affordability and quality of housing.” The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on renters’ source of income, as well as their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. It also disallows discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status. The ordinance went into effect June 1, 2023.  Source: The Lawrence Times

The city of Leavenworth and CoreCivic will take their fight to court June 9 to determine whether the company can reopen its prison facility as an ICE detention center without going through a permitting process. Attorneys for Leavenworth filed suit in March in U.S. District Court against the Nashville-based company, which ran the Leavenworth Detention Center before it was closed in 2021. CoreCivic announced its intent to reopen its prison facility as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, which would be named the Midwest Regional Reception Center.  Source: The Lawrence Times

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that longer-term interest rates are likely to be higher as the economy changes and policy is in flux. In remarks that focused on the central bank's policy framework review, last done in the summer of 2020, Powell noted that conditions have changed significantly over the past five years. During the period, the Fed witnessed a period of surging inflation, pushing it to historically aggressive interest rate hikes. Powell said that even with longer-term inflation expectations largely in line with the Fed's 2% target, the era of near-zero rates is not likely to return anytime [...]

Overland Park could soon join other Johnson County cities in offering compost drop-off locations through a partnership with KC Can Compost. If the city moves forward with the pilot, then self-service kiosks would be set up in the parking lots of the Matt Ross and Tomahawk Ridge community centers for individuals to drop off their material for composting. People who want to use the composting service must pay for a $13/monthly subscription with KC Can Compost. Source: Johnson County Post

USD 422 Kiowa County is out of school on Monday due to a continued power outage from Sunday's tornado. At 9:53 p.m., a large tornado moved just south of Greensburg, damaging power lines in the county. The City of Greensburg posted that the town was safe after the storm. Southern Pioneer Electric Company said they are working to address outages in Greensburg. Crews said lines were damaged, including areas near Greensburg, Coldwater, Haviland, and Medicine Lodge. Source: KSN-TV

A tornado hit the town of Plevna in Reno County late Sunday into Monday morning. Reno County was already under a tornado warning when the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for Plevna around 11:50 p.m. on Sunday. The tornado that was headed for the town was described as large, destructive, and moving at 35 mph. "Large tornado traveled through ... at one point, we believe it was at least a mile wide," Travis Vogt, Reno County Fire administrator, said. "It hit several houses. Plevna took a direct hit. So far, we have no reports of injuries or fatalities, which [...]

The town of Grinnell in Gove County was hit by a tornado shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. The State Fire Marshal said that he has not heard any reports of severe injuries or deaths. NWKS Radio is asking listeners to stay away from Grinnell because they will not be able to see the downed power lines in the dark. Source: KSN-TV

A major new football facility is on the horizon for Wichita. City leaders have announced plans for the Barry Sanders Football Complex, a regional destination for youth and adult football to be built at Dr. Glen Dey Park. In a social media video posted Thursday, Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson said the complex is expected to be completed by 2026 and will serve as the new home for all youth football games in the city. Source: KSN-TV

A new way of training is in the works for one southeast Kansas fire department. "With this, we can recreate the safe environment, but also a more dangerous environment that we can handle and control ourselves," said Lt. Korey Lucian, Columbus Fire Department Lieutenant Paramedic. Sitting behind the Columbus Fire Department is this new facility -- which will soon be part of a more realistic fire training center. This new training facility -- which costs between $15,000 to $20,000 -- was made possible through community fundraising and it puts burn simulations in their own backyard. Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

On April 10, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 199 into law, allowing the year-round sale of fireworks. The City of El Dorado discussed on Wednesday evening during a work session that they have no intention of expanding their city laws to include this.The El Dorado City Commission discussed this item and all agreed that there was no need to expand firework sales in El Dorado. The El Dorado Fire Chief Joe Haag was present to recommend the city take no change in the city ordinance. Source: Butler County Times-Gazette