The tourism industry creates thousands of jobs and brings in billions of dollars to the state. After a year of slowdown, a major Dodge City attraction is gearing up for the tourism season ahead. It’s been years in the making, but on Thursday the new Boot Hill Museum announced its May 8 official grand opening date.” This building has been a vision for many many years. We’ve always talked about an expansion of the museum,” said Lara Brehm, Boot Hill Museum Executive Director. “We’re extremely proud of what we have.” The $6 million renovation and expansion is the city’s centerpiece STAR Bond project. The 13,000 square foot attraction features a dozen permanent exhibits, a gallery, gift shop, and grand entrance.
Source: KSN-TV

An increase in thefts and petty crime — two police chiefs in Kansas are responding to an uptick in people breaking the law. Police in Ark City said since January, there has recently been a spike in thefts. Traveling 30 miles northwest of Ark City 30 miles, Wellington Police are saying the same — it’s a trend that’s keeping the departments busy. In the last four months, both Wellington and Ark City Police Department Chiefs said catalytic converter thefts are the most notable. Wellington Police Chief, Tracy Heath, said he has seen about 12 thefts in four months. “We’re a small, rural community, we’re a small police department, but we still face big city issues,” said Heath. “The pain in our sides right now is converter thefts.” Ark City Interim Police Chief, Eric Burr, said there have been 15 stolen converters since January and a third of those occurred in April alone. “It’s really hard to determine locations, they’re kind of all over the place,” he said.
Source: KSN-TV