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Leavenworth City Commissioner approves contract for management of festival

info2019-03-14T00:15:36-05:00March 14th, 2019|

When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth city commissioners approved a contract for a company to manage a new community festival. The new festival, which will be called Camp Leavenworth, is scheduled for Sept. 21-22 in the downtown area. Commissioners voted Tuesday to hire O’Neill Events and Marketing, Kansas City, Missouri, to manage the festival. The firm previously was hired by the city to conduct event research for a possible city-sponsored festival. The company developed a proposal for the theme of the festival, which was presented to commissioners last month. Keli O’Neill Wenzel, president and CEO of O’Neill Events and Marketing, said last [...]

Douglas County leaders: ‘Desire is there just to work together’ with City of Lawrence on Fire Medical chief hire

info2019-03-14T08:20:22-05:00March 13th, 2019|

The Douglas County Commission has renewed hope that the county might have a seat at the table as the city of Lawrence seeks to hire the new chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical. Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus indicated at the City Commission’s March 5 meeting that he did not intend to include a county representative in the hiring process for the next chief of the joint city-county service. County commissioners at their meeting the following day directed Interim County Administrator Sarah Plinsky to draft a formal letter to the city. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Horton city official says hospital will close Tuesday afternoon

info2019-03-13T08:32:27-05:00March 13th, 2019|

The Horton city administrator says he expects the town's struggling hospital and clinic will close Tuesday afternoon.The closing of Horton Community Hospital would follow weeks of speculation about the viability of the facility, which employs 40-50 in the small northeast Kansas town. Staff at Horton Community Hospital haven't been paid since Feb. 15, said John Calhoon, the acting city administrator and chief of police. (Read more: News - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Pottawatomie County, Wamego to discuss commerce route agreement

info2019-03-12T22:49:52-05:00March 12th, 2019|

Pottawatomie County and Wamego City Commissioners will meet in joint session next Monday to come to terms on an agreement to help fund the industrial commerce route around the southeast portion of Wamego. Both the city and the county agreed last year to commit up to $750,000 each for the project — the local match required by the $4.35 million grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to fund construction. The industrial commerce route project will create a truck bypass around Wamego by widening Valley Street, Balderson Boulevard south of Military Trail Road, and Military Trail Road east to the south [...]

City of Topeka reports patching nearly two-thirds the number of potholes as its 2018 total

info2019-03-12T22:45:04-05:00March 12th, 2019|

Topeka’s city government by late February had already repaired two-thirds as many potholes as it did in all of last year. The city had patched 8,395 potholes as of Feb. 26, city media relations coordinator Molly Hadfield said Tuesday. In comparison, the city patched 12,275 potholes in 2018 and 23,302 in 2017, she confirmed. Hadfield attributed the plethora of potholes to Topeka having seen a harsh winter characterized by considerable precipitation. Topeka has recorded 27.1 inches of snow so far this winter compared to 19.6 inches in the previous three winters combined, according to the National Weather Service. “Because of the [...]

Reno County Commission adopts policy eliminating public comment when it considers zoning changes

info2019-03-12T22:41:03-05:00March 12th, 2019|

The Reno County Commission adopted a policy Tuesday that halts public comment at the county commission on zoning and land use issues when the planning commission conducts a public hearing. Instead, the commission will base any decision on zoning changes strictly on recommendations from the planning commission and county staff, as well as any forwarded information the planning board received when it conducted public hearings required by state law. The policy, which includes two exceptions, was prompted by the anticipation of a pending conditional use permit sought by NextEra Energy for a wind farm in southeast Reno County. The policy, however, [...]

Hays looks at design for second waterline under I-70 to north

info2019-03-12T22:37:49-05:00March 12th, 2019|

There is only one 16-inch line providing water to properties north of Interstate 70 in Hays. The city is planning to build another 12-inch water main for redundancy. There were only a few businesses to be served in the area when the 500,000 gallon water tower was built and city water was extended north of I-70 in 1993. Since then, many businesses vital to the economy and daily needs of Hays residents and the surrounding area have located north of I-70, and more new businesses are planned. “The economic impact of being without water service north of I-70 for any length [...]

Butler County participates in review of Hazard Mitigation Plan

info2019-03-12T22:30:10-05:00March 12th, 2019|

Butler County and 10 other counties in South Central Kansas are participating in a project with the State of Kansas to update the Region G Multi-Hazard, Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan that is expiring on May 30, 2019. The purpose of the plan is look at local hazards and historical disasters and identify ways to lessen or eliminate the impact of future disasters. In addition to having an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan, it makes participating areas eligible to apply for funds under FEMA’s grant program. (Read more: Augusta Gazette)

Sabetha Planning Commission tables decision on extraterritorial jurisdiction expansion

info2019-03-12T22:24:47-05:00March 12th, 2019|

The Sabetha Planning Commission postponed a decision regarding the proposed expansion of the City of Sabetha’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. This comes after the Thursday, March 7, public hearing on the matter, during which members of the Planning Commission heard public comment from 15 individuals. Earlier this year, the Sabetha City Commission prohibited commercial wind generation facilities within its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction, which at that time extended approximately 1-1/2 miles from the City’s contiguous city limits. This prohibition was recommended following a hearing by the Sabetha Planning Commission. At the Planning Commission’s meeting on that topic, members of the public asked if the [...]

Wichita plans to take steps to ensure e-scooter safety

info2019-03-12T22:19:22-05:00March 12th, 2019|

Wichita could be the next city across the United States to have electric scooters on its streets. City officials are speaking out about safety initiatives after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched an investigation in the rise of e-scooter injuries. "Some of the bad issues that have popped up over the last couple of years for scooters is the fact that they've just come into cities, and then dealt with the problems afterwards," said Wichita Transit director Mike Tann. Transit officials want to take a proactive approach when it comes to rider safety. "We're looking at every [...]

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