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Leavenworth officials aren’t backing down from holding private prison company CoreCivic accountable to development regulations even after the U.S. Department of Justice jumped into the case Tuesday. The DOJ filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court case between Nashville-based CoreCivic and Leavenworth, arguing the city was violating the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution. “The federal government’s filing does not change our view of the case or the approach we plan to take,” said W. Joseph Hatley, a Kansas City, Missouri, attorney representing the city of Leavenworth. “The arguments in that filing mirror arguments CoreCivic has previously made, [...]

“I always felt like our facilities in certain aspects were really holding the kids back.” In 2023 Bluestem Public Schools USD 205 passed a $13.5 million bond that improved classrooms, athletic facilities and gave students what Superintendent Joel Lovesee describes as more opportunities that have been a long time coming. After trying to pass a bond to improve the school district several times in past years, Lovesee says he’s relieved to have it passed once and for all. He says with these improvements, USD 205 can finally be on the same playing field as other schools after decades of being overlooked. [...]

On Saturday, September 13, the Andover Police Department set up patrol vehicles outside of Dillons Marketplace to collect food donations for the Andover Community Food Bank. In doing so, they raised a ton of food – literally. This year was the 11th year of the food drive, bringing in pounds and pounds of food each year for the Andover Community Food Bank. The local food bank is organized and run by the Andover United Methodist Church with the intention of providing food assistance to Andover residents in a caring and respecting manner, according to their website. Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

A fight over money designed to help cut crime has the two largest counties in Kansas on opposite sides. The issue is how much money each county will get for programs designed to keep criminals from breaking the law again. One county benefiting from the change is Johnson County, Kansas. Johnson County wouldn't talk with FOX4 on camera Friday, but they did have a member on the committee that decided how the funding would be allocated. Also of note, the person who developed the formula for this funding was a county employee. On Thursday morning, the Sedgwick County Commission held a [...]

Progress on proposed updates to the city of Garden City Neighborhood Revitalization Program was given at a joint Garden City Commission, Finney County Commission and Holcomb City Council meeting on Sept. 16. Danielle Burke, Garden City Assistant City Manager, said for the past several years staff from the city of Garden City and Finney County have been working through updating the NRP, a tax rebate program that’s intended to help revitalize portions of the community. Read more: Garden City Telegram

Johnson County Government today announced it will receive a $21 million Federal Aviation Administration infrastructure grant to support the full reconstruction of Runway 18-36 at New Century AirCenter. The 7,300-foot runway is a critical piece of aviation infrastructure serving corporate, military and general aviation operations across the region. Read more: Johnson County Kansas

When you think of Kansas, you probably don't think of mountains — or mountain lions. But in recent years, the number of sightings of mountain lions in the state has skyrocketed. In the past two years, there have been 117 sightings of the big cats in the state, more than the previous 15 years combined, said Jon Beckmann, a wildlife supervisor for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. As mountain lion populations continue to become reestablished in the Great Plains, increasing across the four states that border Kansas, it's likely that they will rise in this state as well, he [...]

Children all across southeast Kansas are learning the ins and outs of dairy thanks to a mobile class. The Southeast Kansas Community Action Program Mobile Dairy Classroom came to Galena early Wednesday to show kids how their milk gets from the farm to their kitchen table. Children from Galena Head Start got hands on experiences with dairy farming, animal care and more. The 30-minute demonstration included a portion featuring Hazel Grace the milk cow getting milked. Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The Topeka Fire Department is inviting the public to visit various fire stations around the Capital City as they host open houses. Starting on Oct. 3, the TFD will start holding open houses at different fire stations around the city. The city is inviting the public to visit the 12 different stations around Topeka on various dates through to September 2026. "Everyone is invited to come and take a tour, as well as meet some of the fire staff in their area," City of Topeka spokesman Dan Garrett said. Read more: KSNT 27 News

One of the companies leading the charge to deploy safer, smaller, faster-to-build nuclear reactors is hoping to find a site for one in Kansas. TerraPower, cofounded by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, began construction last month on its first power plant of this kind in southwest Wyoming as a $4 billion demonstration project cofunded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Now it is interested in building one in Kansas to generate power in utility company Evergy’s service area. Read more: The Lawrence Times