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Marion County Commissioners Monday approved a resolution banning wind energy conversion systems in a portion of the county. The resolution covers the four townships in the southwest corner of Marion County, basically the area around Goessel and to the south of the city of Hillsboro. A separate resolution that would prohibit large scale solar systems in the same area is expected to come before Commissioners for action next week. Commissioners Monday agreed to sign a letter of support on behalf of an application being submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for tax credits in support of the restoration of the [...]

Nex-Tech has made a $75,000 loan to support Bricks Co-Working Hub, a new business and community space in Russell. Bricks will operate open workspaces, office rental, conference room rental, virtual office services, and provide a space for collaboration and creativity in the downtown business district of Russell. The loan was disbursed from the Nex-Tech Revolving Loan Fund, which provides funds to eligible local businesses to create jobs and sustain local socioeconomic activities. This investment will serve the rural communities of northwest Kansas. Read more: Great Bend Tribune

Overland Park wants to make it easier to use its “missing middle” pilot program on lots that may not have been developable before. Several months after Overland Park launched its housing pilot program, the city is now considering whether to temporarily amend its development codes to encourage the use of the program, particularly on infill and atypical-shaped lots. The idea is to allow homes with a pre-approved design in the Portfolio Homes pilot program to be built on properties that might not typically pass legal muster for residential development due to their shape, size, setbacks or their inability to have public [...]

Overland Park wants to make it easier to use its “missing middle” pilot program on lots that may not have been developable before. Several months after Overland Park launched its housing pilot program, the city is now considering whether to temporarily amend its development codes to encourage the use of the program, particularly on infill and atypical-shaped lots. The idea is to allow homes with a pre-approved design in the Portfolio Homes pilot program to be built on properties that might not typically pass legal muster for residential development due to their shape, size, setbacks or their inability to have public [...]

Kansas wants to create a sports authority to own the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium. Public rather than private ownership of the stadium will shield more than $1 billion from being collected as income taxes. Kansas has agreed to finance 60% of $4 billion in stadium projects. Those projects include a 65,000-seat domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, and other developments near the Legends and in Olathe. Kansas will fund the stadium using sales tax and revenue bonds, or STAR bonds. Those bonds take out debt that will be repaid with future sales tax dollars from inside a stadium district. A [...]

A state program that funds projects that use waste tire products has announced nearly half a million dollars in grants to Kansas schools and communities. On Monday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced that $493,709.55 was awarded to 32 projects across the state. The projects will use recycled tire products for things like playground surfaces and picnic tables. Read more: KSN-TV

The Wellington City Council will be discussing at Tuesday’s meeting whether or not to enter into an energy sales agreement between the City of Wellington and CORMER for the development of a Tier IV Data Center, north of the community. The proposed project location is a parcel owned by the Wellington Humane Society, situated just north of the City Limits but within the City’s utility service territory. Data centers are the physical infrastructure behind AI — the buildings that house the specialized computers needed to run AI systems. “As demand for AI has surged globally, the race to build this infrastructure [...]

Peabody Market wasn’t very busy on Friday afternoon, and that reflects a concern of owner Catherine Weems. Business hasn’t been great, and Weems can’t pinpoint it to any one cause. “We’re just trying to stick around,” Weems said. “I bought this grocery store with the intent of being of service to the community. I don’t make a dime off of it. Everything I make has been reinvested into the store.” She said it’s not a self-serving venture; it’s entirely for the community. “I really want it to continue,” she said. The grocery store has been in business for more than 50 [...]

Ron Harrison, an avid Manhattan fisherman, remembers a time when Tuttle Creek Lake stretched several miles north of the Randolph Bridge and the fishing, especially catfishing, was good. “Now, there’s only a few times a year, when there’s been a lot of rain and the water is really rolling in, that there’s any water at all north of the Randolph Bridge,” he said. “The whole north end is just a mess — a big, muddy mess.” That “mess” is the most visible sign of sedimentation that threatens the life of the reservoir — as well as the lives of many other [...]

Nitrate continues to be above safe levels in one Kansas community. Tests collected on March 6 found nitrates at 13 milligrams per liter in Reno County Rural Water District 101, which serves the Yoder area. That exceeds state and federal regulations for the maximum contaminant level, which is 10 milligrams. High nitrate levels in the district’s water supply have been a problem dating back to at least 2020. Nitrates pose the greatest risk to infants under 6 months old, pregnant women and those with certain health conditions. The county offers bottled water upon request to homes with those at risk. Elevated [...]