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Derby schools to stay in person through first half of February

info2021-01-29T07:47:59-06:00January 28th, 2021|

Derby students will remain in classrooms for at least the first half of February. The gating committee for Derby Public Schools voted Wednesday to keep the district in the “yellow” column of its criteria chart, keeping students in person instead of a hybrid or online format. The gating committee’s latest decision lasts from Feb. 1 to Feb. 12. Committee members will meet again via Zoom at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 to determine operations for Feb. 16 to Feb. 26. Source: Derby Informer | News

Kansas 911 administrator blames three-hour outage on ‘technological anomaly’

info2021-01-29T07:48:49-06:00January 28th, 2021|

Rep. John Carmichael questioned the reliability of the state’s 911 call handling system during a hearing Thursday on why the system went down for 3 hours and 20 minutes on Nov. 29. The Wichita Democrat said the outage demonstrates the failure of a backup system that was flagged as a risk by state auditors in 2018. “The bottom line is my constituent standing on the street with her husband dying as a result of a traffic accident — she couldn’t get through to anybody,” Carmichael said. “So the system we have right now doesn’t work, does it?” Scott Ekberg, an administrator [...]

Divided Johnson County commission extends COVID rules on restaurants and gatherings

info2021-01-29T07:48:58-06:00January 28th, 2021|

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Thursday extended limits on public gatherings and a midnight curfew on bars and restaurants through the end of March. The order, which was previously set to expire Jan. 31, limits public gatherings to 50 people, or 50% capacity of a venue, whichever is less. The gathering limit exempts shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, fitness centers, health care facilities, churches and funeral homes, as well as private gatherings. Commissioners voted 5-2 to extend the order through March 31, with the hope that the number of new COVID-19 cases will drop in the coming months while the vaccine [...]

Park City looks up as it plans to build a downtown

info2021-01-29T07:49:25-06:00January 28th, 2021|

Park City wants to build something it doesn’t have, a downtown district. The 40-year-old city was built as an improvement district. It accommodates those who get off of the highway, but since becoming an official city, assistant city administrator Dana Walden said a group of dreamers wanted a downtown district. "We don't have a downtown district, we've always wanted a downtown district,” said Dana Walden. While Covid slowed down the process, it did not stop the city leaders from moving forward on the plan. Source: KSN-TV

Wichita Police Department to start up “Second Chance Thursdays” again

info2021-01-29T07:49:44-06:00January 28th, 2021|

The Wichita Police Department is starting up "Second Chance Thursdays" again. Patrol West community police officers at 5803 W. Central will host the next event on Thursday, February 11th from 3pm to 10pm. If you have a traffic warrant that needs a new court date, this event is for you. They will also be helping with Notice to Appear warrants for anything, Probation Violation Warrants We are also helping with Notice to Appear warrants for anything, Probation Violation Warrants for anything, however UCC ( Uniform Criminal Complaint Warrants) and all other city bench warrants for criminal arrests are still bookable. These [...]

Sedgwick County lowers age restrictions for COVID vaccination; blocks county jumping

info2021-01-29T07:49:58-06:00January 28th, 2021|

The Sedgwick County Health Department has opened its COVID-19 vaccination program to anyone 80 or older and is scheduling appointments for walk-in or drive-through vaccines next week, county officials announced Thursday afternoon. But no county jumping will be allowed. Only Sedgwick County residents can sign up for vaccines from the health department, Assistant County Manager Tim Kaufman said. That’s a major departure from guidance by the state’s top doctor, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Dr. Lee Norman, who said last week that “a resident can go into any county and get vaccinated.” Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

City of Manhattan facing budget issues, looking at raising taxes or cutting services

info2021-01-29T07:50:32-06:00January 28th, 2021|

The city of Manhattan is facing a budget crisis and it could mean difficult decisions in the near future. This week, the Manhattan City Commission received an update from city departments. This includes an overview of 2020 and challenges going into this year and beyond. Assistant City Manager Jason Hilgers told KSNT News that the city relies too much on sales tax revenue. He said that revenue has been flat for more than a decade and saw a dip during the pandemic. This leaves the city with tough decisions to make about the future. "It gets complicated to maintain revenue streams, [...]

Replacement mask mandate passed in Washington County

info2021-01-29T07:51:32-06:00January 28th, 2021|

The Board of County Commissioners has approved a new county-wide mask mandate. This mandate replaces the statewide mandate that Washington County has been under since late November. The new, local mandate is less stringent than the state-wide mandate and requires people to wear masks both indoors and outdoors in public spaces when unable to maintain 6 feet of distancing. The provisions do not apply to people who live together, and residential property and private offices or workspaces that are not open to customers or public visitors are exempt. County attorney Elizabeth Baskerville Hiltgen told the commissioners this week that the authority [...]

Wyandotte County is confident it can vaccinate thousands over the next few weeks

info2021-01-29T07:51:47-06:00January 28th, 2021|

Wyandotte County is confident it can vaccinate thousands over the next few weeks. Of course, it all depends upon supply. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids said that a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine is holding up progress on fighting the virus. On Thursday, state Rep. Louis Ruiz received the first dose of the vaccine at the Wyandotte County vaccination center. "We don't care who you are or where you are in Wyandotte County, if you're a resident, I want your arm and I want to stick a needle into it," said Bob Bennett, director of vaccinations for Wyandotte County. Bennett said his goal [...]

Kansas expects over $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding

info2021-01-29T07:52:35-06:00January 28th, 2021|

Kansas anticipates getting at least $1.1 billion from the latest federal coronavirus relief and expects to spend about half of it on K-12 schools, higher education and grants for child care. State data shows about $168 million is earmarked for testing, tracing and mitigation. Another $26 million is planned for vaccine distribution. How the money is spent is dictated by federal law. The new funding, which follows $1.03 billion in federal aid received last year, arrives as the state is working to speed up vaccinations. Governor Laura Kelly received her second dose Wednesday and used the occasion to urge continued caution, [...]

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