info2021-05-17T07:10:58-05:00May 16th, 2021|
Two county officials brought back concerns with salaries and retention of employees to the Bourbon County Commission on Tuesday. Sheriff Bill Martin and Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center Major Bobby Reed spoke to commissioners about losing employees to higher pay elsewhere, and issues with setting wages. Source: Fort Scott Tribune
info2021-05-17T07:11:07-05:00May 16th, 2021|
Emergency evacuations underway in Natoma where 100 people have been displaced due to heavy flooding caused by life-threatening flash flooding. The National Weather Service in Hastings, NE reports between 3 and 6 inches of rain has fallen. Most of it has ended. However, the town is seeing runoff from Paradise Creek with boat rescues underway. The NWS reports citizens tell them the flooding is being compared to the significant floods seen in 1993. Other reports of flash flooding this morning were in Lincoln County where emergency managers say crews blocked several roads in town overnight. At least one homeowner had flooding [...]
info2021-05-17T07:11:18-05:00May 16th, 2021|
Javion Napier is a freshman at South High High School and Wichita and a local entrepreneur. “I started a program about three years ago, I started selling lemonade to help the homeless and now I’ve started to sell hotdogs and hamburgers to help the homeless,” he said. Javion started cooking when he was just seven years old. Now he uses his skills to give back to the community. “You do it in love, not just for the money, you don’t ask for nothing. If they give you something, put it back in the business and give the rest to charity like [...]
info2021-05-17T07:11:34-05:00May 16th, 2021|
The last two Kansas counties that require residents to wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 will keep the mandates in place for now to discuss new federal guidelines that loosened mask requirements. Health officials in Douglas and Wyandotte counties are reviewing guidelines announced Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said people who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks outdoors and in most indoor settings. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said the state would immediately begin following those guidelines. Dr. Thomas Marcellino, Douglas County health officer, said in a statement that health officials will discuss [...]
info2021-05-17T07:11:40-05:00May 16th, 2021|
Kansas is starting to see some changes with the lifting of mask orders, after new CDC guidance for people that are fully vaccinated. The governor's office confirmed with Kansas Capitol Bureau on Friday that counties and cities still have local control over mask orders, after the state adopted the CDC's recommendation. However, the majority of Kansas cities and counties don't have mask orders in place. All but four have gotten rid of them. According to county officials, Wyandotte County and Douglas County are the only two counties that currently have mask orders in place. "Counties are actually starting to see, in [...]
info2021-05-17T07:11:47-05:00May 16th, 2021|
The news of her brother’s death wasn’t unexpected. But mid-March 2020 would prove to be an extremely unusual time for Margaret, an African American woman in her 70s living in Wichita, and for her family to bury a loved one. The novel coronavirus was beginning to reach Kansas. Just hours after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued an emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas recorded its first death linked to the disease. In about a week, Margaret would learn just how close to home the pandemic would hit, when she became Sedgwick County’s first confirmed case of COVID-19. The [...]
info2021-05-17T07:12:06-05:00May 16th, 2021|
West Mineral became the site of one of the biggest events of the year. It's called the "Big Iron Overland Rally" which took place at the fairgrounds of Big Brutus. This was inspired after the success of the adventure enthusiast Moore Expo earlier this year. Guests got to camp at the base of Big Brutus, enjoy live music, equipment vendors and food. Chris Holloway, Show Promoter, says, "The biggest reason that we're all here and our favorite thing to do is get out and support places like Big Brutus because that machine doesn't maintain itself and these guys work really hard [...]
info2021-05-17T07:12:28-05:00May 16th, 2021|
An old community staple is preparing to re-open it's doors after being built almost 150 years ago. The "Oak Grove School House" in Parsons will start hosting it's restoration tour this weekend. After the school closed in 1960, talks to begin restoration began in 1966 at a class reunion. Since then over $100,000 have been poured into restoring Oak Grove. It even got the attention from both the "United States and Kansas Historical Societies," as a historic site. Roger Pruitt, Oak Grove School Historical Society Treasurer: "It was used by military during the Civil War for transport wagons, going down to [...]
info2021-05-16T12:42:57-05:00May 16th, 2021|
The city of Topeka sought a stormwater engineer II for three years. Six candidates were interviewed. The position was eventually filled after an employee got the proper license and work in the field for two years to meet the minimum requirements. City staff members told the Policy and Finance committee on May 7 other stories of job openings with zero applications and struggling to find qualified people. The committee is reviewing Topeka’s hiring woes to see what can be done to spur interest in the position. One potential solution? Loosening the guidelines for the city’s residency requirements. Source: CJonline.com.
info2021-05-16T12:46:25-05:00May 16th, 2021|
Dillon Food Stores announced celebratory plans to mark its centennial year with service to Kansas communities. Throughout 2021, Dillons plans to recognize its principles and values along with customers, associates and communities that have made the past 100 years successful. “The 100th anniversary of Dillons is a monumental milestone,” said Steve Dreher, president of Dillon Food Stores. “In reflecting back, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard our customers refer to one of our locations as ‘my Dillons’ and it always brings an overwhelming sense of pride.” After his initial venture in selling groceries at his general store in [...]
