info2024-10-23T09:37:47-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
The City of Wichita is working to bring more than 100 short-term rentals into compliance, pointing out that nearly one in four are operating without a license. “We’ve sent out 130 notices of violations to short-term rental owners. If they don’t comply, they could receive a first-time violation of $500,” City of Wichita Communications Manager Megan Lovely explained. Source: KWCH
info2024-10-23T09:27:34-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
Short-term rental owners in Prairie Village need to switch gears following a newly adopted ban. After a tense and lengthy public comment session Monday night, the Prairie Village City Council voted 10-2 effectively ban short-term rentals inside the city, requiring all such properties have a minimum of a 30-day stay. Short-term rentals like AirBnbs and Vrbos. Source: Johnson County Post
info2024-10-23T09:25:07-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
In the wake of upheaval within the Overland Park Police Department, new Chief of Police Doreen Jokerst — the city’s first female top cop — wants to take on a “forward-thinking” approach to law enforcement as a “servant leader.” “I believe public service is a gift, that this badge should not be taken lightly, and it should be worn with integrity,” Chief Jokerst said in an interview with the Post. “It’s going to be about learning people and ensuring people have a seat at the table and those that may never have had a seat at the table, making sure that [...]
info2024-10-23T09:23:37-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
With the city of Merriam’s new flag display policy in place, two additional flags will be flown on city property next summer. The Merriam City Council last week unanimously voted to approve requests by a councilmember to fly the LGBTQ/Pride flag as well as the Juneteenth flag at the base of a flag pole display area in front of city hall, 9001 W. 62nd St. These flags will fly on four separate poles at the base of the three flag poles already at city hall. This comes a few months after the city council unanimously voted to adopt a new flag [...]
info2024-10-23T09:22:31-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
An advisory group created by Kansas education leaders is recommending that schools ban cellphones for students at every grade level. A majority of the 36-member Blue Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time voted to recommend that districts prohibit students from using cellphones for the entire school day, including during lunch and passing periods. They also voted to recommend that students store personal devices “in a secure location that is not accessible to them during the school day.” The group meets again this week and plans to make its final report with recommendations to the Kansas State Board of Education in [...]
info2024-10-23T09:20:01-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
The cost of providing water and sewer services in Wichita has gone up more than expected. So, the Wichita City Council is being asked to pass some of the costs on to customers. The city has been using the same rate plan since December 2019. On Tuesday, Gary Janzen, director of Wichita Public Works and Utilities, told the council that the 2019 plan is no longer sustainable due to rising inflation and staffing costs. He recommends a 6.14% rate hike in 2025. For residential customers who don’t use much water, it would be an increase of $3.21 a month. Mid-level users [...]
info2024-10-23T09:18:53-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
The Biden-Harris Administration has announced $9 million in funding for the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project and the Kansas Water Transition Assistance Program. The Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project diverts water from the Little Arkansas River when levels are high, removes particulates, salt and other chlorides, organic material, and sediment, and pumps the water into the Equus Beds Aquifer that is deep underneath Sedgwick, Reno, Harvey, and McPherson counties. The project has been active since the early 2000s, but there has been a significant drop in water levels over the past few years. In addition, the [...]
info2024-10-23T09:17:32-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
The Garden City Fire Department said it is giving away free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for Finney County residents. A Facebook post from the GCFD said the initiative is a part of the “Get Alarmed Kansas” program. Detectors for hearing-impaired individuals are also available. GCFD said it will also install the detectors as well. Source: KSN-TV
info2024-10-23T09:16:12-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
Preserving the past and preparing for the future are part of the same program at a southeast Kansas museum. Staff with Franklin’s Miners Hall Museum are participating in an assessment of their facility and collection to do just that. Two assessors, paid from by a grant from the Foundation for Preservation and Advancement, aren’t just assigning a dollar value, though. They’ll also be giving advice on how to make sure these artifacts can last for generations to come. Source: KSNF/KODE
info2024-10-23T09:15:12-05:00October 23rd, 2024|
More than 3,600 people turned out Monday in Sedgwick County to cast their ballot on the first day of early in-person voting for the 2024 general election. Long lines formed outside early voting places in the county, and Tuesday morning saw more of the same. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said Monday was a record-setting day for the first day of early voting, but figures for comparable first days in the 2016 and 2020 November general elections were not immediately available. Monday ended with a 3,627 in-person votes cast. In 2016, about 51,000 early in-person votes were cast, and 2020 [...]
