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Drones will soon be first on the scene of Olathe emergencies — carrying AEDs, spotting heat signatures in a fire, or providing a bird’s eye view of a crime scene. The Olathe City Council on Aug. 5 voted 5-0 to approve a three-year contract with BRINC Drones for the Olathe Police Department to start its own “Drones as First Responder” program. Mayor John Bacon and Councilmember Robyn Essex were absent. Olathe joins Lenexa and Prairie Village as communities with DFR programs. Read more: Johnson County Post

The city of Prairie Village is stepping up its noise ordinance enforcement as the community grows fatigued with construction noise from teardown-rebuilds. Now, the Prairie Village City Council may require construction hour signage with a phone number to report violations at construction sites such as teardown-rebuilds in single-family neighborhoods — the source of noise complaint frustration among some residents. Read more: Johnson County Post

Ernie Lujano addressed the Newton City Commission with a request: fix the Washington Park bathrooms so he would not have to keep plunging the toilets. Lujano spoke on behalf of the Newton Mexican-American Athletic Club, which uses the park as part of its annual softball tournament. He said between 200 and 300 people attend the park for the tournament. The bathrooms opened at 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., he was stuck having to plunge the toilets. Lujano said many of the event visitors are from out of town, and the bathroom situation results in a bad image for the city. Read [...]

Ernie Lujano addressed the Newton City Commission with a request: fix the Washington Park bathrooms so he would not have to keep plunging the toilets. Lujano spoke on behalf of the Newton Mexican-American Athletic Club, which uses the park as part of its annual softball tournament. He said between 200 and 300 people attend the park for the tournament. The bathrooms opened at 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., he was stuck having to plunge the toilets. Lujano said many of the event visitors are from out of town, and the bathroom situation results in a bad image for the city. Read [...]

Despite almost $18 million of dollars in taxpayer investment over the past ten years, the Sun Fresh grocery store in the Linwood Shopping center closed its doors Tuesday. “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer, at this time, able to serve the residents of this important community,” the sign on the front door said. It was the only grocery store for miles. Read more: News

In November 2024, Rose Hill voters passed a $20 million school bond. The district's superintendent says it was to fund much-needed improvements to the decades-old infrastructure. A year later, the improvements are coming to fruition, and school staff are counting the days to the first morning bell of the semester. Read more: KSN-TV

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company is celebrating the opening of its new $80 million manufacturing facility in Maize on Monday. The 134,000-square-foot plant, located on the 5801 block of 119th Street West produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes for plumbing and irrigation. Sen. Roger Marshall, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu and other officials were in attendance. Read more: KSN-TV

Pitt State Gorillas are restoring a Pittsburg landmark and creating a new one. Pittsburg State University Gorillas and alumni are combining forces with Crossland Construction to complete the Gorilla Rising Project. 2024 Construction Management graduate, and now Crossland Field Engineer Dylan Halterman is transforming the Besse Hotel into student housing. He says it's been an honor to work on the city landmark that's stood for almost 100 years. Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Plans for a cold storage facility on the southern fringe of Olathe faced a major setback Monday night. The Olathe Planning Commission denied recommendation for a cold storage facility at 175th Street and Lone Elm Road. The commission’s recommendation concluded a meeting that drew a packed house, including 30 residents who spoke against the measure, and ended just before midnight. A motion to recommend approval of the rezoning and preliminary site development plan failed 5-2, with commissioners citing safety and infrastructure concerns as reasons why they voted against the measure. Commissioners Taylor Breen and Ken Chapman cast the yes votes. Read [...]

City commissioners heard a request Monday night to improve accessibility at the Rec Center. Senior Foundation of Eudora board member Annie Bryant spoke during public comment asking the commission to consider installing ADA compliant doors at the north doors of the Rec Center. Bryant said updates to these doors would allow more people to come to the center, and also more seniors to come to foundation events. She asked that the bathroom stall doors also be updated to be ADA compliant.  Read more: The Eudora Times