Josh Guymon is now USD 457’s permanent Superintendent, no longer just the Interim Superintendent. Guymon served as the Interim Superintendent since June. The Board of Education announced Guymon as the superintendent on Oct. 31 and approved his contract at the Board’s regular meeting on Monday. Guymon worked in the district for 28 years, beginning in the fall of 1997.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

As part of its continued investment in Kansas, Amazon today announced the opening of new delivery stations in Salina and Garden City, in addition to plans to open an additional last-mile facility in Bel Aire by the end of this year, as part of its delivery network expansion throughout rural America.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Delivery drones for Amazon will soon be taking to the skies in parts of Shawnee as part of a program launching across the U.S. On Monday, Shawnee city staff alerted the Shawnee City Council to Amazon’s plans to deploy Prime Air drones in the area in next few weeks. The MK30 drones will deliver packages weighing less than 5 pounds out of two Amazon locations nearby. They will cover about two-thirds of Shawnee, according to city documents. The discussion was for informational purposes only, to raise awareness about the program and answer any questions the city council had.
Read more: Johnson County Post

An empty lot sits on the southeast corner of Central and Oliver. There, developers have placed a sign describing their proposed development and site plan for the property. The architectural rendering suggests that there would be a restaurant, two drive-thrus, 13,500 square feet of commercial space and almost 7,000 square feet in retail space. Half of the land is devoted to parking. Nothing about the proposed site plan looks out of place for Wichita.  Except very little about this plan resembles what developers told members of the District 1 Advisory Board, commonly known as a DAB. All six Wichita city council districts have DABs to provide advice and recommendations to their respective council members. They generally meet monthly, in the evenings, to hear reports from city departments and staff. They also advise on zoning cases. At these meetings, the city’s planning staff present a case and offer their recommendations. The public can weigh in on the proposed change. Board members, who represent the concerns and interests of the community, can ask developers clarifying questions. Then, relying on the information presented, they vote on whether or not to give their support to the plan. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Several individuals gathered in northern Lyon County Saturday morning to unveil new signage detailing the significant history that runs through that portion of our area. Residents and organizers gathered in Old Allen Saturday to unveil a new Santa Fe Trail sign, which includes detailed information about the significance of the community and the historic trail that runs through it, a fact that organizer Janice Huston says many people are not aware of. The sign is also meant to help educate residents on Charles H. Withington, the first settler in the area, who founded the community of Allen.
Read more: KVOE

Plans are in the works to construct a 3-megawatt data center in Iola, which will mean greater utility sales for the city. Construction of a new data center in Iola will mean more electricity sales for the city. In August, the city sold 10 acres of property north of Russell Stover Chocolates to Vine Energy LLC of Overland Park.  The company plans to put a data center on the property, with an option to purchase another 10 acres from the city within the next year. Data centers are specialized facilities that manage, process and share large amounts of electronic information. 
Read more: The Iola Register

After some cities in Johnson County experienced trash pickup unreliability in the past couple of years, Overland Park is studying the status of waste hauling across its city. Currently, Overland Park lets organized neighborhoods and individual residents handle their solid waste management — which includes recycling, trash, yard waste, etc. — by contracting out to private haulers. That means many different types of haulers remove trash and recycling in the city. With the study, the city is looking to get a better understanding of “the big picture” when it comes to the status of those services and ways to potentially improve the approach for residents when it comes to things like cost and sustainability, said Lara Isch, the city’s sustainability manager.
Read more: Johnson County Post