Wichita’s two big movie theater chains are reopening next week — for real this time. Both Regal, which owns the three Warren Theatres, and AMC, which owns the Northrock 14, have announced that their theaters will be reopening, one day apart. ... The two chains had announced plans to open once before — in mid-July — but then COVID-19 cases started to spike and they changed their plans. Both chains plan to follow increased safety precautions, including mandatory masks for staff and customers. Both chains detail their new procedures on their websites. via Wichita Eagle

Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday that the issue of whether the state could mandate all students to wear masks when they return to in-person classes isn’t resolved, despite an opinion from the attorney general contradicting her efforts at a statewide mandate. Kelly’s said during a virtual roundtable with teachers as districts finalize their preparations to resume classes that she thought a “more definitive” solution could come into place than the current standoff with Attorney General Derek Schmidt, although she did elaborate on what that could look like. What she didn’t want, however, was a lawsuit over the matter. “I don’t want [...]

The Kansas Board of Regents approved two separate amounts of money Thursday morning in order to help schools during the coronavirus pandemic. The board approved $26 million to be sent to the six state universities and their specialized schools. That includes the University of Kansas, Kansas State, Wichita State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State, and Fort Hays State. This money is part of the CARES Act that Congress passed and the president signed. Governor Kelly approved sending the full amount to schools. The money can be used to provide emergency support through grants to the schools to continue to provide educational services [...]

City of Lawrence leaders say they are interested in strengthening the city’s rental inspection program, which currently inspects very few of the city’s more than 21,000 rental properties. As part of their work session Tuesday evening, city commissioners all agreed Lawrence’s rental inspection program is inadequate, and that they are interested in increasing the number of units inspected and making other changes. Because of the way the current program is set up, the city inspected about 1% of the city’s rental properties last year. Read more LJWorld.com.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Local restaurants, bars, and retail shops are getting some relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Wichita is rolling out “Open Air ICT” which will allow businesses to use on-site parking, sidewalks, and streets near the venues for free. This will give businesses the opportunity to maximize the space around their location to help customers stay safe while practicing social distancing. “I think it’s going to show a big improvement in business in general,” said Delano’s Diner Manager, Amber Almos. “Most places that I’ve been to and even here at the diner itself we’ve only been seating at a 50% capacity and this [...]

About 900 Spirit AeroSystems workers who have been on unpaid furloughs for 60 days are scheduled to report back to work Friday. Originally announced as 21-day furloughs in early June, the furloughs were extended by Spirit (NYSE: SPR) on June 25 to 60 days. Furloughs, along with thousands of layoffs, are due to both the production halt of the Boeing 737 MAX at the first of the year and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. In an update on its website Tuesday, Spirit notified furloughed employees that they will report back on their previous schedule, shift and work location unless otherwise notified. [...]

Sedgwick County commissioners approved a plan Wednesday to make safe-operating grants of up to $5,000 available to small businesses beginning next week. The allocations will go up to a total of $5 million, which is part of an additional $9.3 million in federal CARES Act funding given to the county because it has the state's highest employment rate after the effects of Covid-19. The county originally received $99.6 million in funding. The county surveyed businesses this summer for their most pressing needs in responding to the pandemic's effects, which have taken a toll on restaurants, bars and many other hospitality and [...]

The Hutchinson Correctional Facility Central Unit is on lockdown after 84 residents and 10 staff tested positive for the coronavirus this week. The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) says a total of 99 residents and 17 staff have tested positive since the pandemic began. Five residents and 7 staff have recovered. The KDOC says all the positive cases are asymptomatic. KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda says they have consulted with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). New steps include: All residents in the Central Unit will remain locked in their cells, necessary movement will be done in cohort groups, essential [...]

After accepting just over $11 million for coronavirus relief last month from the state of Kansas, the Saline County Commission approved how that funding will be divided Tuesday. The funding comes from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund and passed through the state. Saline County administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the county received over 100 applications for funding, which were submitted to an advisory committee set up by the county commission last month. via News - Salina Journal