From 2018 to 2019, the U.S. population grew by .48%, its slowest rate in 100 years. Declining births, increasing deaths largely due to the graying Baby Boomer population, and a crackdown on immigration have contributed to many states seeing net population losses in recent years. But in other pockets of the country, populations are growing. These shifts can be due to job opportunities, high quality of life, easy commutability to job centers, low rents, or any combination of these or other factors. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Kansas using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2019, based on 5-year estimates.
Source: KSN-TV

It’s been in the works for years and now Dodge City’s Downtown Streetscape Project is nearing the end of its design phase — boosting its potential is a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT awarded a max amount of $2 million to support Dodge City’s nearly $10 million, primarily STAR Bond-funded, endeavor in renovating its downtown. “This is tremendously exciting. This is the heart of Dodge City, this is the core of our community,” said Melissa McCoy, Dodge City Assistant City Manager…. Dodge city leaders say the project is an investment in their community. “We want to be able to capture more visitors through welcoming experience of our downtown, but also create some great quality of life amenities that our locals and folks in the region will be able to enjoy as well,” said McCoy.
Source: KSN-TV

Back in 1981, former Wichita Police Chief Richard LaMunyon (currently, Maize city administrator) along with five other WPD officers felt a need to help the Kansas Special Olympics. “What can we do?” LaMunyon remembers his officers asking. “I said, ‘We’ll send money.'” So, they ran a torch 5.8 miles from Wichita City Hall to South High School. Creating the first-ever Special Olympic’s Law Enforcement Torch Run. “You never know what’s going to happen with an idea,” he said. With some persuasion by Chief LaMunyon, the Law Enforcement Torch Run spread like wildfire. “We started with one state, the state of Kansas. We then went to like six states. Then we went to like 12 states, and then all of a sudden, every state got involved,” he said. “Canada was the first outside of the United States to get involved; all their provinces came on board. And then all of a sudden, we’re in Europe. We’re in Japan. We’re in China. We’re everywhere that you can think.”
Source: KSN-TV