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USD 308 approves classified, administrative pay

info2019-06-12T10:13:19-05:00June 12th, 2019|

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 School Board in Hutchinson Monday approved pay scale increases for both classified and administrative staff members. Pay for licensed staff will be set during negotiations later this summer with NEA-Hutchinson. Under the proposal adopted by the board, the classified and administrative pay schedules will provide an average increase in pay of 4.5%. The proposal does not impact the salary of incoming superintendent Mike Folks because the superintendent is not on the salary matrix. (Read more: Hutch Post)

Haven school board agrees to sell Partridge school building

info2019-06-12T10:12:23-05:00June 12th, 2019|

HAVEN, Kan. — The Haven USD 312 School Board gave approval to sell the Partridge Elementary School building during Monday’s meeting. After several months of negotiations, the board agreed to sell the vacant school to Plainview Church for $100,000. The church has agreed to purchase the building and placed $5,000 upfront with the desire to move into its new home by the end of the calendar year. If that doesn’t happen, the church can put up another $5,000 in earnest money and extend the deadline until May of 2020. District Superintendent Clark Wedel said he fully expects the church to have [...]

County finds protest petition on NextEra project valid

info2019-06-12T09:58:31-05:00June 12th, 2019|

The Reno County Commission accepted a determination Tuesday that it will require a unanimous decision by their board to approve a permit for NextEra Energy’s proposed wind farm in Reno County. That after a consultant and county staff established that owners of close to half the property abutting land that would house turbines for the proposed wind farm had filed a successful protest petition on the project. The commission vote on NextEra’s conditional use permit application remains set for a special meeting 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fox Theatre. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Topeka city council delays vote on water division pay increase, second shift

info2019-06-12T09:56:34-05:00June 12th, 2019|

A lengthy hearing and discussion during Tuesday’s city council meeting led council members to delay voting on a proposed wage issue involving Topeka’s water division until next week. The motion to delay passed on a 7-2 vote with Councilmen Michael Lesser and Mike Padilla voting no. The three resolutions up for discussion and a vote included implementing the proposed 2 to 10 p.m. second shift for the water division, pay raises over a three-year period totaling 11.5 percent and arranging for those raises to occur retroactively as part of their first pay period for 2019. (Read more: Local - The Topeka [...]

Maize High flips the switch on huge solar project

info2019-06-12T09:55:10-05:00June 12th, 2019|

On Tuesday, a Sedgwick County school, Maize High School, set live a solar power system capable of producing enough energy in one day to power the school for a month. The 720 solar panel, 240 kw (kilowatt) system is the largest privately-owned system in Kansas, said Stan Bergkamp, physics and chemistry teacher, and the instigator of the project. The system is 400 feet long and 75 wide and stands in an empty field adjacent to the high school. Bergkamp said the threat of climate change was one of the driving forces for pursuing the project. (Read more: Local News |)

500 e-scooters hit a speed bump at Wichita City Hall when e-commuters question plan

info2019-06-12T09:52:18-05:00June 12th, 2019|

As a rental company announced plans to put 500 electric scooters on Wichita streets, the City Council delayed allowing that while it tries to allay the concerns of scooter commuters. Zagster, the company that provides the rental bikes to Bike Share ICT, and its partner, Spin, had expected to have the e-scooters on the streets of central Wichita by the end of this month. They announced they would deploy the scooters as soon as the city finalizes an ordinance setting rules for their use. But that deployment, and hiring for 30 part-time jobs, is now on hold. (Read more: Local News [...]

Summer Books on the Bus program underway

info2019-06-12T09:43:24-05:00June 12th, 2019|

The USD 457 Books on the Bus program, better known as B.O.B., is visiting various sites in Garden City, Monday through Thursday through July 25. B.O.B. is a traveling bus that brings books to various locations in Garden City during the summer Mondays through Thursdays in June and July. The goal of B.O.B. is to increase reading skills by getting books into the hands of children. The Kids Meals on Wheels Bus will be accompanying B.O.B. at a number of sites during the summer. Sack lunches will be provided for those 18 and younger as part of the Summer Food Service Program. [...]

Abilene names Foltz interim manager

info2019-06-12T11:47:56-05:00June 12th, 2019|

Jane Foltz, director of Abilene Parks and Recreation, was named Abilene’s interim city manager at the regular meeting of the Abilene City Commission on Monday. Foltz has been director of parks and recreation since 2001. ... “Right now we have a lot of things on the table,” Foltz said after the meeting. “We have a lot of projects and we have to keep moving forward. I am going to visit with staff and we are going to get a priority list assembled.” Read more: Reflector-Chronicle

Lawrence Parks and Rec board concerned about proposal to charge entrance fees at rec centers

info2019-06-11T11:58:57-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board expressed concern that a proposal to charge entrance fees at the city’s recreation centers would negatively affect low-income residents and agreed to further study equity issues. At their meeting Monday, board members reviewed the Parks and Recreation Department’s 2020 budget proposal to charge entrance and other fees, as well as other expenditure cuts proposed by the department. The department is projecting an approximately $675,000 budget gap in its recreation fund, and in addition to fee increases is also proposing closing the Community Building for drop-in recreation and instituting a fee at the South Park [...]

Barton County to pave the way to new voting location

info2019-06-11T10:09:45-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The Great Bend Township in Barton County currently votes at the Science and Math building at Barton Community College. The area assigned for use at the college will not work with the new voting equipment. Barton County Election Officer Donna Zimmerman says the area provided by the college is a hallway setup and with tables now used for paper ballots or ExpressVote machines, the voting location needs more space. Zimmerman recommended using the Barton County Sheriff’s Firing Range. “It would require a change of the college to go down the hall a little into a classroom and it’s already a bit [...]

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