Here in the Arkansas Ozarks, a billionaire is never very far away. It is remarkable for one corner in an otherwise rural state to have not one, but rather a multitude of homegrown billionaires — courtesy of the Waltons of Walmart fame, the Hunts of J.B. Hunt Transport and the Tysons of their namesake poultry and protein empire. But perhaps more remarkable is what the region doesn’t have — if you believe the local line: Envy and jealousy. If a big, new electric vehicle manufacturer decides to locate its research and development facility in Bentonville, bringing 500 high-paying jobs to the city, leaders in Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale or any of the other neighboring towns don’t lament and seethe about how their community lost out to a neighbor and a rival. Instead, they celebrate.
Source: LJWorld

Topeka’s chronically vacant houses tend to be old. Twenty-seven of the 49 buildings on the vacant property registry the city maintains were built more than 100 years ago, Shawnee County Appraiser’s Office records say. Those houses also tend to have below-average appraisal values. Thirty-five of the 49 properties on the registry have appraisal values of less than $45,000. Twenty-four are valued at less than $20,000, and 13 at $10,000 or less. … The majority of the properties are located in in North and central Topeka.
Source: CJonline

A Reno County Sheriff’s Department drone and the expertise of area natural gas industry professionals both proved key in managing an explosive fire at a gas plant outside of Haven on April 14, the county’s emergency management director said. The fire at the Haven Midstream plant on Halstead Road, about a mile southwest of the town of Haven, was initially called in as a grass fire, Director Adam Weishaar advised the Reno County Commission. However, the fire was so intense the National Weather Service contacted him in response to the heat signal that popped up on the radar, and the Kansas Fire Marshal’s office reached out after hearing reports of explosions.
Source: Hutch News

Downtown Hutchinson gained more than 50 new businesses in the last five years, filling the storefronts that had been empty for decades. The growth exceeded the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, downtown business owners and residents’ expectations — but there is still more than an estimated 140,000 square feet of open retail, restaurant and commercial space on Main Street. According to Reno County’s property records, the estimated value of these empty properties that are owned by private residents is $1.4 million. While businesses own another $1.6 million in empty storefronts.
Source: Hutch News

The city of Topeka could sell its parking garages to a private company. ‘This is very much exploratory,’ said Hannah Uhlrig, deputy director of public works. Topeka owns and operates seven parking garages in downtown Topeka. Combined, they provide 2,651 covered parking spaces. The city’s public infrastructure committee is exploring the possibility of sale. Several entities, including two national management services, responded to the committee’s RFP (request for proposal). If the committee recommends the sale, the issue would be sent to the Topeka City Council’s governing body for consideration.
Source: CJonline