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Since 2023, outlines and uncolored shapes have graced the outer wall of Salina’s Cozy Inn restaurant. In 2024, the owner of the historic hamburger joint filed a lawsuit against the city over his unfinished mural. A judge ruled Wednesday that the City of Salina violated the First Amendment rights of The Cozy Inn. City officials had determined that the display would advertise for the restaurant and therefore was not a mural, but a sign. That meant it would be subject to the city’s sign code, which requires businesses to obtain a permit for a sign and imposes size limits. And the [...]

Here in Kansas, property taxes continue to be a major issue. However, in some nearby states, data shows the problem isn't nearly as bad. The Kansas Committee on Taxation met at the statehouse once again to discuss property taxes in the Sunflower State on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Kansas lawmakers spent time evaluating policies in other states such as Oklahoma. Currently, rural homeowners in Kansas are paying three times more in annual property taxes than homeowners in Oklahoma. Read more: KSNT 27 News

Marion residents may have to change where they park their recreational vehicles, and trash trucks may have to change how they get to the county transfer station. Those were among items discussed but not acted upon at Monday’s Marion City Council meeting. Having just spent more than $11,000 to repair damage to Vine St. on Marion’s far west side, council members are hoping to divert heavy trash trucks away from the street, which leads to the north side of the county transfer station. Read more: Marion County RECORD

The new industry lessens the sting of Gates’ downsizing. And it’s to the city’s credit it has its sites on potential enterprises. The news of a data center coming to Iola is garnering backlash, the most specious being that its electric demands will raise utility rates for the rest of us. That’s not the case. Vine Energy LLC neither asked for nor received any incentives in terms of property tax breaks or discounted utility rates to locate here. And for the approximate $80,000 in utility extensions to bring water and electricity to the facility, the Overland Park company is footing the [...]

Although tensions flared at times, a unified sense of collaboration and urgency permeated throughout the special meeting between Hutchinson and South Hutchinson, and Reno County Commissioners on Thursday night at the Sand Hills Center. The meeting came after South Hutchinson took a first step towards annexing the future site of Evergy’s natural gas power plant during a special city council meeting on Nov. 17. The site falls within the limits of South Hutchinson’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas kicked off the meeting by emphasizing the need for Hutchinson and South Hutchinson to collaborate on creating more economic development [...]

When you flush the toilet in Topeka, your sewage will now feed into a state-run public health monitor of the level of flu, RSV and COVID-19 in the community. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Nov. 19 announced the launch of a new online dashboard for its wastewater monitoring of respiratory viruses. Read more: CJonline

People who are caught living near bus shelters, or in privately-owned woods, could be required to complete up to 40 hours of community service, pay hundreds in fines or spend up to a month in jail. Read more: KC Star

Spring Hill will have a new mayor after an unusual write-in election. Voters in the growing Johnson and Miami Counties exurb went to the polls Nov. 4, but the only candidate for mayor on the ballot announced that she would not take the position if elected. Read more: KC Star

The $320 million project, proposed by Lamar Hunt Jr.’s company, Loretto Properties LLC, will feature the theme park, a hockey arena and a six-story hotel on the southwest corner of West 119th Street and Renner Boulevard, also known as the Olathe Gateway. Read more: KC Star

New public opinion polling showcases a sharp divide among Johnson County residents over whether the Royals should continue pursuing a ballpark at Aspiria. Read more: KC Star