As the City of Lawrence’s first ever director of equity and inclusion, Farris Muhammad began by listening. Muhammad, who recently completed his first year with the city, said that listening to the voices of those who are marginalized in the community was one way he sought to understand the landscape. He said when he asked people about their experiences and their history, a lot of them were candid, saying that Lawrence strives to be progressive, but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.
Source: LJWorld.com.

This coming week, Baldwin City will look to build on recent downtown success as it starts tapping into additional resources associated with its entry into the Kansas Main Street Program. It was announced in March that Baldwin City, Atchison and Junction City were selected as this year’s Kansas Main Street Program cities. Lori Trojan, executive director of the Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce and the Baldwin City Main Street Program, said three Kansas Main Street Program representatives, including Director Scott Sewell and business specialist Shelley Paasch, will visit Monday and Tuesday to tour the community and introduce the program to residents.
Source: LJWorld.com

While COVID-19 produced a lot of negative impacts, local officials also say the adversity it brought about highlighted a lot of what makes Great Bend and other rural communities great places to live. “People were craving connection and they weren’t getting that in (cities),” said Great Bend Economic Development Inc. President Sara Hayden. “(In the cities) you don’t have time to really meet your neighbor or get to know your city government personally, and I think that’s where we really excel. You can go downtown on a Friday night, and you’re going to find 10 people that you know, and catch up with them.” It is that personal touch that Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francs also highlights when speaking about the city and its residents.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

The second annual Christmas Window Contest in downtown Great Bend has shown what businesses and decorators can do for an encore, following last year’s inaugural success. Thirty windows were decorated this year in hopes of being crowned “Best Christmas Window.” The contest ensures that downtown Great Bend is once again merry and bright for the holiday season. The anonymous donor who provided the incentive of $3,000 in prize money for the second consecutive year is impressed with the quality of this year’s windows.
Source: Great Bend Tribune