The HEAL grant program helps communities revitalize downtown buildings as spaces for new or expanding businesses, housing, arts and culture, civic engagement, childcare or entrepreneurial activities. Submitted projects must show potential to become economic drivers in the community and demonstrate that the space will be occupied by the end of the project. There must be proof of 1:1 matching funds from the building owner that will be required at the time of application.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

In the “breadbasket of America,” the grocery store shelves in Moran will now sit bare. With the closing of Marmaton Market, the town’s only grocery store, residents are left without a place to buy fresh milk, vegetables, or meat — a stark irony in a state that feeds much of the world. The loss pushes the Moran community closer to what experts call a food desert, where access to healthy, affordable food is measured not in minutes but in miles. Food deserts are low-income areas where residents have limited access to supermarkets — defined by the USDA as more than one mile away in urban areas or over 10 miles in rural regions. The Mildred Store, about eight miles north of Moran, is now Moran’s closest source of fresh foods. About 19 million Americans, roughly 6% of the U.S. population, live in food deserts.
Read more: The Iola Register

Danny McKarnin, who has worked in the City of Iola’s power plant for 30 of his 34 years as a city employee, appreciates the knowledge he’s gained through the years. McKarnin, 62, retired earlier this month. If there’s one thing Danny McKarnin learned as a longtime City of Iola employee, it’s that he couldn’t help but learn something new every day. “I think anybody out there would agree with me,” McKarnin said. “You learn something new every day. There are so many variations of what you might be working on. And that’s what I liked most about it,” he continued. “There was something different every day.” McKarnin, 62, retired Sept. 19 after a 34-year career with the city, the last 30 as a power plant technician.
Read more: The Iola Register

Shopping carts of belongings abandoned on the street. Tents pitched on trails and in tunnels. Liquor bottles left on park tables. More people facing homelessness are coming to Manhattan, some local officials say, but when they get here they may face higher housing costs and find that they don’t qualify for services. That can leave already desperate folks with even fewer choices. When people can’t find housing, many turn to public spaces, which creates additional challenges for local businesses.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The Buhler Frolic is an annual event where people make good memories each year, and the community comes together. At the Buhler Frolic, the weather was perfect, and a pleasant atmosphere and laughter prevailed. The day kicked off with a pancake feed breakfast. Then, a bit later, there was the parade down Main Street—the parade along with the middle school and high school bands. The firefighters and police also participated in the parade. Many other businesses also participated in the parade.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Leavenworth officials aren’t backing down from holding private prison company CoreCivic accountable to development regulations even after the U.S. Department of Justice jumped into the case Tuesday. The DOJ filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court case between Nashville-based CoreCivic and Leavenworth, arguing the city was violating the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution. “The federal government’s filing does not change our view of the case or the approach we plan to take,” said W. Joseph Hatley, a Kansas City, Missouri, attorney representing the city of Leavenworth. “The arguments in that filing mirror arguments CoreCivic has previously made, without success.”
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

“I always felt like our facilities in certain aspects were really holding the kids back.” In 2023 Bluestem Public Schools USD 205 passed a $13.5 million bond that improved classrooms, athletic facilities and gave students what Superintendent Joel Lovesee describes as more opportunities that have been a long time coming. After trying to pass a bond to improve the school district several times in past years, Lovesee says he’s relieved to have it passed once and for all. He says with these improvements, USD 205 can finally be on the same playing field as other schools after decades of being overlooked.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

On Saturday, September 13, the Andover Police Department set up patrol vehicles outside of Dillons Marketplace to collect food donations for the Andover Community Food Bank. In doing so, they raised a ton of food – literally. This year was the 11th year of the food drive, bringing in pounds and pounds of food each year for the Andover Community Food Bank. The local food bank is organized and run by the Andover United Methodist Church with the intention of providing food assistance to Andover residents in a caring and respecting manner, according to their website.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

A fight over money designed to help cut crime has the two largest counties in Kansas on opposite sides. The issue is how much money each county will get for programs designed to keep criminals from breaking the law again. One county benefiting from the change is Johnson County, Kansas. Johnson County wouldn’t talk with FOX4 on camera Friday, but they did have a member on the committee that decided how the funding would be allocated. Also of note, the person who developed the formula for this funding was a county employee. On Thursday morning, the Sedgwick County Commission held a special meeting to approve a letter being sent to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, asking her to stop these Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) funding changes.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

Progress on proposed updates to the city of Garden City Neighborhood Revitalization Program was given at a joint Garden City Commission, Finney County Commission and Holcomb City Council meeting on Sept. 16. Danielle Burke, Garden City Assistant City Manager, said for the past several years staff from the city of Garden City and Finney County have been working through updating the NRP, a tax rebate program that’s intended to help revitalize portions of the community.
Read more: Garden City Telegram