Finney County residents showed up on the sidewalk along the 2300 block of East Kansas Avenue, in front of Tequila’s Mexican Grill, on Saturday to protest against the development of data centers in the county. Husband and wife, Rance and Shelby Schribvogel, organized the protest. Shelby Schribvogel said they organized it because the people’s voices need to be heard since the Finney County Commission, local city commissions and the Finney County Economic Development Corporation have been ignoring people against bringing data centers to the county.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

While the city held a public hearing about its budget, it was Flock cameras that drew the most comment at Newton’s Aug. 24 commission meeting. For the third meeting in a row, residents asked for public discussion and more information about a system of 11 automated license plate readers installed around Newton. “Put it on the agenda,” Newton resident Maggie Snow said to the commission. “Review the procurement. Who among you is willing to ask that Flock be placed on a future agenda so these questions can be publicly discussed?” The cameras are a part of a larger network of tag readers that take pictures and store information about vehicles that drive by them. The sheriff’s office employs them in Harvey County, as does the City of Hesston. According to the company, there are roughly 120,000 of these cameras in the U.S. in 6,000 cities.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A new park in North Newton will have a variety of features to mimic the natural surroundings. That’s according to North Newton City Council Member and North Newton Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Marissa Murphy. She said those could include logs, grasses, moveable parts and water. The structures still are yet to be determined, Murphy said. The proposed park is north of Kauffman Museum’s main entrance, as well as around the sidewalk there into the trees.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A strange smell prompted a call to the Hesston Police Department. Coming from the area of Emma Creek Road and Hesston Road, the HPD was notified of a possible gas odor. When officers responded, it was quickly determined the smell was not gas but rather the application of chicken manure to fields to be used as fertilizer.
Read more: Harvey County Now

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and the Mid-America Regional Council partnered to host workshops for cities and other community partners in the region to develop a model policy for e-mobility devices – which includes e-bikes, e-scooters and more. A copy of the model policy is available online. The initial convening in January 2026 highlighted the need for consistent policy throughout the region that improved safety and was easy for the public to understand. Representatives from local municipalities have provided feedback multiple times to shape the final version of model policy.
Read more: Johnson County Kansas

To Christopher Kaberline’s two young girls, Dolly Parton isn’t an iconic global music legend. She’s “Grandma Dolly.” That’s because they’ve grown up reading books provided for free by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, titles like “I Am A Rainbow,” “Ice Cream Face” and “Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?” On Tuesday, after news of Parton’s death at age 80, Kaberline of Prairie Village took to social media to honor the singer and philanthropist and her impact on his daughters and other children who have received books over the years.
Read more: Johnson County Post

De Soto is weighing new rules for how it handles public disclosures for economic development projects. The City Council will consider adding a process for the city to follow when asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) related to potential economic development opportunities. The city has not set a date for a work session to review the policy proposal, which Councilmember Zack Bradley originally proposed.
Read more: Kansas City Business Journal

The Dickinson County Commission recently passed a three year moratorium on data centers, battery storage and alternative/renewable energy sources in the county. Kenny Roelofsen, commissioner and chairman of the Board of Commissioners, explained what the moratorium means. “This isn’t a prohibition on these different industries. This is an exploratory moratorium so that we can better define and better regulate these types of industries,” he said. “I think a lot of people think of a moratorium as a ban, and that’s not what it is. It’s a brief period of time to allow the planning and zoning to develop adequate, and accurate more importantly, regulations.” Roelofsen said the county will focus on one of the three areas per year, with the moratorium on each area ending after that year.
Read more: KCLY Radio