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Working for you, 27 News confirmed that a major reusable packaging manufacturer is closing its Osage City facility. ORBIS Corporation announced on Friday, March 21 that it made the decision to shut down its Osage City facility. The 200,000-square-foot plastic manufacturing and warehouse space employs 79 people, according to a press release from ORBIS Corporation. ORBIS Corporation said the plant closure was decided due to the size, age and configuration of the Osage City plant. The company said modernization and reconfiguration isn’t viable for the warehouse. Source: KSNT 27 News

The City of Galena names a city park after two of its own. City leaders voted at Monday’s council meeting (3/17) to name the park, “The Schwartz Park” after longtime residents Charles “Corky” and Mary Schwartz. The couple lived on a hill just beside the park and volunteered their time to oversee it — including picking up trash and keeping up the park’s well-being. Along with two pavilions already donated and named after the couple, the park is home to the city pool, a new splash pad, basketball and volleyball courts, a playground, and walking track. Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday will consider a common consumption area (CCA) ordinance that would allow consumption of alcohol from licensed establishments within a particular boundary. They’re having a special legislative meeting in place of the scheduled work session. The proposal follows a Sept. 24 work session involving city, Aggieville and Downtown business association officials, as well as the Riley County Police Department and Kansas Alcohol Beverage Control. Downtown Business Association officials have drafted an approach for an ongoing common consumption area daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Source: News Radio KMAN

Conflict over urban expansion into rural areas of Johnson County has inspired an effort in the Kansas Legislature to restrict city annexation authority elsewhere, including for Topeka, at a time when the capital city is looking to grow. Source: CJonline

The Federal Reserve in a closely watched decision Wednesday held the line on benchmark interest rates though still indicated that reductions are likely later in the year. Faced with pressing concerns over the impact tariffs will have on a slowing economy, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee kept its key borrowing rate targeted in a range between 4.25%-4.5%, where it has been since December. Markets had been pricing in virtually zero chance of a move at this week's two-day policy meeting. Along with the decision, officials updated their rate and economic projections for this year and through 2027 and altered the [...]

Wichita took steps this week to protect its public drinking water supply in case of a catastrophic failure at its new $574 million water treatment plant. The new plant — Wichita Water Works — is expected to be certified and permitted for safe operation within the next few months. It would replace the city’s Main Water Treatment Plant as the sole provider of drinking water for about 500,000 residents. Demolishing or mothballing the old plant would have undercut a major reason the city built the new plant: to address concerns that its water plant is a single point of failure, meaning [...]

After much back and forth, the Wichita City Council has approved a law that allows golf carts to be driven on some city streets. In January, the council passed a more restrictive ordinance, then withdrew it and sought feedback from residents at district advisory board meetings. “This will save police time. It’ll legalize golf carts so police don’t have to go out when somebody calls and says ‘somebody’s riding a golf cart,’” councilmember J.V. Johnston said. State law prohibits the use of golf carts on city streets unless a city passes its own ordinance regulating golf cart use. The new ordinance [...]

After months of pushing back and forth between Peabody Main Street Association and Kansas Department of Commerce, the two have resolved their differences and Main Street will get the second half of a grant awarded in 2023. Lt. Gov. David Toland announced last week that Commerce would pay out the second half of Main Street’s $1.5 million COVID-19-era Building a Stronger Economy grant. The grant came into dispute after Commerce learned the grant was being administered by a former Commerce employee and convicted felon still on probation in Pennsylvania for forgery, theft, and attempted theft. The former employee, Jonathan Clayton, still [...]

If there were any qualms about support for rebuilding a local nursing home destroyed in a Friday fire, those were answered emphatically when more than 70 locals crammed into the fire station for a special Yates Center City Council meeting. Yates Center Health and Rehab was destroyed after a nearby grass fire, fueled by wind gusts in excess of 50 mph, quickly consumed the facility. All 38 residents were safely evacuated, and transported to other nursing homes in the area. Monday’s meeting, as much as anything, served as a rallying cry for the community, and for a brainstorming session as to [...]

Experiences of local tenants prompted Lawrence city commissioners to pursue creation of a tenant bill of rights, and to explore what it would take to ensure tenants can have legal counsel. Those discussions — among other possible actions — are still in early stages, but the first step came with a presentation to the commission Tuesday evening. Lea Roselyn, the city’s affordable housing administrator; Christina Holt, assistant director of KU’s Center for Community Health and Development; and Vince Munoz, of Lawrence Tenants, presented results of a Lawrence and Douglas County tenant survey. The survey is the work of LiveWell Douglas County’s Sexual Violence [...]