Voters living within Emporia city limits will decide two citizen-initiated ballot questions Nov. 3 proposing restrictions on high-impact data centers and certain battery energy storage systems. Read more: www.emporiagazette.com

City Manager Daniela Rivas and Chief of Police Craig Dunlavy gave a presentation on Flock camera usage in Newton, along with a representative from Flock, on Tuesday evening. Rivas said Flock cameras had received increased scrutiny in recent months, with many people having concerns about privacy and security. “This is in hopes to reduce or alleviate any of your concerns,” Rivas said. Read more: Harvey County Now

As the ceremonial hose coupled together, it was a representation a decades-old dream and the future joining as one.The post Sedgwick hooks together past and future to open Station 31 appeared first on Harvey County Now. With a band of dignitaries and representatives, along with current and past members of Sedgwick’s fire department, Station 31 officially opened to the public on Saturday, Oct. 10. “What a fabulous, wonderful morning it is to be here in Sedgwick,” City Administrator Kyle Nordick said. “This is a truly amazing special morning as we get to open up Station 31.” Read more: Harvey County Now

What began as a stagecoach station in the mid-1800s became a booming mining town, then gradually faded into a quiet community. Now, Mulberry is charting a new course while residents reflect on the legacy that built this Crawford County town. Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The ballot language lists multiple projects that the funds would support, including public safety vehicles, upgrades to the public golf course and parks, and more. Read more: KSN-TV

A new data center has been proposed at the old Forbes Field in Topeka. The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) held data center presentation at the Oct. 13 Topeka city council meeting. This comes after both Shawnee County and the city of Topeka passed moratoriums on data center development within county and city limits. Curtis Sneden, president of the MTAA, spoke about the plan for a potential data center. The developer currently has no client to occupy the site once built. Read more: KSNT 27 News

The city's current 1% sales tax, which collects money for the general fund, will expire in 2027. This renewal would redirect the funds to address the pressing need for street repairs. Read more: KSN-TV

The Overland Park Police Department announced an update Wednesday to the departments policy on using automated license plate readers. OPPD said automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are tools that help officers find stolen vehicles, spot vehicles used in serious crimes, etc. The department announced Wednesday it met with a host of community groups and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to alter some use guidelines. Read more: KSHB News

The company behind one of the hyperscale data center proposal projects in De Soto, Kansas, announced it is preparing to provide direct credits of up to $1,000 for every household in the city. Digital Realty is preparing its 300-acre site for a data center at Astra Enterprise Park near the Panasonic Plant. Construction is expected to start in 2027. Beale Infrastructure has started construction on its data center campus down the road from Panasonic and Digital Realty's site. But even with the promise of Digital Realty's money, neighbors are still skeptical of what the project could mean for their everyday life. [...]

Kansas Main Street State Director Drew Simpson told a packed Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet on Tuesday that enforcing building codes on vacant downtown properties and retaining a well-paid Main Street director are essential to the city's downtown revitalization efforts. Simpson, who spent 10 years with the Georgia Main Street program before taking the Kansas post, said he had never seen so many people at a community meeting. Lindsay Madison, president and CEO of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, gave Simpson a tour of downtown before he spoke. Simpson said Kansas Main Street will make a baseline visit next [...]