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Park City took an important step Tuesday on a project plan for proposed sales tax revenue bond incentives for the $500 million Champtown development. The major project will span 160 acres in Park City showcasing a boardwalk with an aquarium, butterfly pavilion, multi-sport venues, retail and hotel along I-135. It has been in discussions as part of the STAR bond program for the past three years after a previous project proposed for the site, the former Echo Hills golf course, hadn't seen any forward movement for years. The City Council approved the project plan, also considered a development agreement, during its [...]

Wichita Transit drivers have been trained on how to use naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Drivers were shown how to recognize signs of an overdose and how to use the medication during training provided by local non-profit Safe Streets at a monthly safety meeting. “Naloxone is here to save lives,” Aonya Kendrick Barnett with Safe Streets said. “It does not encourage drug use. Read more: Homepage

After months of gathering input, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city’s center has put together a picture of what they say Wichitans want downtown to become: a community-centric space with more housing options, better walkability, a livelier riverfront and a neighborhood that feels like home. Now Downtown Wichita is preparing for a third open house from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at their 501 E. Douglas office. The come-and-go event will be the nonprofit’s final big push for community feedback before it assembles a new Downtown Wichita Action Plan. Read more: Homepage

Six priorities have been identified to guide future efforts: access to care, behavioral health and substance misuse, food security, transportation, affordable housing and addressing health disparities and community voice. Read more: Hutch News

Jacob Wood was appointed Salina's new city manager, dropping the "interim" title. Wood has had several roles within the city of Salina dating back to 2008 as an intern in the finance department before moving into the city manager's office. Read more: Salina Journal

Early on, the new USD 460 cell phone or mobile device policy was met with broad skepticism. Detractors were worried about being able to contact their children during the school day. However, a week in to the new school year under the new cell phone policy, students have seemed to adjust quickly to having to deposit their mobile devices into Faraday pouches. The pouches have a Velcro closure but can be accessed in case of an emergency. Students store their devices inside the pouch and have it returned at the end of the school day. If a student has to leave [...]

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags be flown at half-staff at the state capitol complex and all court buildings in honor of a longtime Sedgwick County District Court judge who died this week. Judge Bruce Brown, who served as the Division 10 Judge in the 18th Judicial Court District, died Thursday following “an extended illness,” according to news releases from the governor’s office and the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration. He was 64. Read more: Homepage

Great Bend Police Officer Paul Millard spent much of Aug. 9 sitting on a dunk tank platform, grinning as kids lined up their pitches to dunk him. It’s not uncommon for the school resource officer to participate in community events. But as the day went on, word quietly spread that a hero was sitting atop the dunk tank. The video player is currently playing an ad. Less than 24 hours earlier, Millard had stopped a 17-year-old with a handgun after a shooting in the parking lot at Towne East Square — action that Wichita police credited with saving lives. Read more: [...]

The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider implementing esports teams at middle and high schools. Kansas State High School Activities Association board members voted in April to sanction esports as an interscholastic activity beginning in the 2025-26 year. If given approval Monday, the district would begin registering buildings based on student interest and available resources, according to the meeting agenda item. The agenda says the growing sport lends itself to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, and students who aspire to compete in college could be recruited or offered scholarships. Read more: The Lawrence Times

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday gave a tepid indication of possible interest rate cuts ahead as he noted a high level of uncertainty that is making the job difficult for monetary policymakers. In his much-anticipated speech at the Fed's annual conclave in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the central bank leader in prepared remarks cited "sweeping changes" in tax, trade and immigration policies. The result is that "the balance of risks appear to be shifting" between the Fed's twin goals of full employment and stable prices. Read more: Bonds