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Manhattan finalizes STAR district expansion, looks to April public hearing on redevelopment plan

info2022-03-16T23:30:47-05:00March 16th, 2022|

The location of a proposed Art and Light Museum in Downtown Manhattan, KS (Courtesy of the City of Manhattan). The blue line indicates the old border of the STAR bond district and the red-dotted line is the approved expansion which includes the new museum location. Manhattan City Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved the expansion of the Downtown STAR bond district, with a public hearing scheduled to update the redevelopment plan on April 5. The expansion is related to a $43.6 million Art and Light Museum being planned by the DeBruyn’s, owners of The Master Teacher in Manhattan. By expanding the lot to [...]

Burrton students learn importance of civic engagement

info2022-03-16T23:27:34-05:00March 16th, 2022|

Students in Burrton are learning about the importance of being involved in their community. Several high school students attended last week’s USD-369 Board of Education meeting to fulfill a civic engagement requirement for their history class. Social studies teacher Kara Sorenson explained that she asks students to participate in three different civic engagement events each semester. “There are two categories to choose from, community service (volunteering) and government participation,” she said. “Each of my students is required to complete one activity from each category, plus an additional activity of their choice. For example, they can attend a city council meeting, a [...]

Halstead Council asks residents if they’d pay more to keep recycling service

info2022-03-17T22:04:46-05:00March 16th, 2022|

The Halstead City Council has their ear to the ground, listening for citizen support for routine recycling pickup. The local waste management contractor, Nisly, is wondering where they should take recyclables after next month, when they will no longer be accepted at the Harvey County Transfer Station. That’s according to City Manager Ethan Reimer, who told the council at Monday night’s meeting that it could cost citizens $2 to $4 more “to continue to collect recycling and take it to a drop point other than Harvey County.” Nisly should be contacting him soon with a plan and a price point for [...]

USD 410 and Hillsboro partner on city improvement projects

info2022-03-17T22:05:38-05:00March 16th, 2022|

USD 410 students presented to the Hillsboro City Council in a special city council meeting on Wednesday, March 9. ... Two different groups, led by teacher Darrel Knoll, presented during the 30-minute meeting, and both gave some simple and fairly cost-effective ideas to improve the town of Hillsboro. The first group offered some revisions of the shelter houses in the park. The group consisted of Callie Plenert, Katherine Maxfield and Emily Paulus. They talked about how the shelter houses are outdated and need updating and fixing. The group suggested revamping and improving the shelter houses located in the park. “People usually [...]

Colwich Fire Department staff, equipment stretched thin due to recent grass fires

info2022-03-16T23:15:36-05:00March 16th, 2022|

Recent wildfires across Kansas are taking a toll on trucks and staff at the Colwich Fire Department. Fire Chief Moe Lallement said there haven’t been any grass fires in Colwich’s immediate jurisdiction yet this year, but the department still helps respond when one breaks out somewhere else if help is needed. “It seems that we’re in a cyclic pattern, so about every week or so, every three of four days, you get what we call a red flag day, which is something we’re experiencing today,” Lallement said. Lallement said it’s so frequent that some of his volunteer firefighters are taking days [...]

Kansas increasingly meeting the need for rural broadband speed

info2022-03-16T23:12:37-05:00March 16th, 2022|

At a time when civic problems often seem intractable, Kansas is actually making progress on increasing access to quality broadband, a deficiency exposed all too clearly by the pandemic. With the help of state and federal investments, spurred by the pandemic, and private companies taking leaps of their own, some Kansans are noticing the difference in internet speeds. But it’s a push that hasn’t been without hiccups and is far from complete. After hearing rumors that better broadband would finally be coming to historic Cottonwood Falls in the scenic Flint Hills, Sandy Carlson was skeptical. Source: KLC Journal

Calls for service on the rise for Spring Hill PD

info2022-03-16T23:10:02-05:00March 16th, 2022|

The Spring Hill Police Department’s annual report shows there was an increase in calls for service in 2021 compared to each of the two previous years. Police Chief Cindy Henson gave the annual report during the Feb. 10 Spring Hill City Council meeting. The report shows there were 7,990 calls for service in 2021, compared to 6,285 calls for service in 2020 and 7,045 in 2019. Criminal reports of battery and drug arrests both saw large increases in 2021. Battery reports increased from 42 in 2020 to 61 in 2021. Drug arrests increased from 26 in 2020 to 40 in 2021. [...]

Leaders talk about state of the city, school district and county

info2022-03-16T23:05:35-05:00March 16th, 2022|

Completion of two major street projects, updating the city’s comprehensive plan, and ringing up record sales tax collections were just a few of the topics Leigh House touched on Wednesday, March 9, while delivering her first State of the City remarks as mayor of Paola. “Paola saw a record amount of sales tax collected, showing that the community is choosing to shop local to support our businesses. And thank you all for that,” House said. “It does make a huge difference.” About 50 people gathered for the State of the City on Wednesday morning at Town Square event center in Paola. [...]

County issues over 600 burn permits via new online system

info2022-03-16T23:03:35-05:00March 16th, 2022|

The county has issued 620 burn permits through its online permit system since it was launched in mid-November. Mark Whelan, emergency management coordinator for the county, said Tuesday, March 15, that 151 of those permits have been issued in the last 30 days. Permits are required, and the permit holder should call 294-3232, Option 4, when they plan to burn. The new online burn permit system will save applicants a little leg work. Whelan said the new system should help streamline the process because it will no longer be necessary for someone to get a paper permit. Source: Local News | [...]

McPherson School Board recall election will take place, thanks to lawsuit

info2022-03-17T22:08:05-05:00March 16th, 2022|

Residents of USD-418 will soon have a chance to decide if they want to retain Board Members Jeff Johnson, Emily Greer, and Ann Elliott after McPherson County Clerk Hollie Melroy certified the success of a recall effort. She certified its failure fewer than two months ago. The recall election is set for May 24, with advanced voting available from May 4 through 23. What changed? The reversal of decisions came after 12 members of the recall committee filed a lawsuit against Melroy on Feb. 18, claiming she hadn’t correctly counted, specifically contesting Melroy’s disqualifications due to address changes, the use of [...]

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