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Group pushes for extension of citywide sales tax to fix Topeka streets

info2018-10-12T10:13:48-05:00October 12th, 2018|

Voters may feel some disappointment that Topeka’s city government hasn’t done more to fix its streets using the revenue from a citywide half-cent sales tax, a leader for the campaign to renew the tax acknowledged Thursday. Still, Jim Parrish said, the predominant message he is hearing from people in this community is that “we need to continue the march.” Parrish is chairman of the nonprofit group Future Forward, which is running an advertising campaign to promote passage of a ballot question that would extend the tax for 10 years. Topeka governing body members voted July 17 to schedule the ballot question [...]

After JoCo voting system update, officials hope for ‘dazzlingly fast’ election results

info2018-10-12T10:11:46-05:00October 12th, 2018|

Election officials hope new software for voting machines will provide swift results in Johnson County on Nov. 6, unlike the overnight vote count delay that plagued the county in August. The updated software has received both federal and state certification, Johnson County Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker said Thursday. The new software resolves the issue that caused painfully slow reporting of Johnson County’s results following the Aug. 7 primary election. In fact, Metsker said, this new vote reporting software can deliver results very rapidly. “We have exhaustively tested this,” he said. “It will be dazzlingly fast.” (Read more: Government & Politics News [...]

Pittsburg Fire Department Delivers Pizzas

info2018-10-12T10:10:10-05:00October 12th, 2018|

The Pittsburg Fire Department set out with Dominos to deliver pizza. The fire marshal tagged along and was checking smoke alarms. If residents had working smoke alarms, the pizza was free. If the smoke alarms did not work, they were replaced or fixed for free. (Read more: KOAM - Local News)

Mall owner curious about hotel-convention center in Hutch

info2018-10-12T10:09:31-05:00October 12th, 2018|

A familiar name in hotel management and the owner of the Hutchinson Mall form the fifth party intrigued by Hutchinson’s search for someone to establish an upscale hotel and convention center. Steve Olson is the chief executive officer for the Johnson County-based Leisure Group of Companies. Leisure once managed a Holiday Inn & Express here and managed the now-Atrium Hotel, 1400 North Lorraine St., for a period. Weiner is president of the Houston-based RockStep Capital, which owns the mall. Efforts to reach Olson and Weiner were not successful. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff said Olson and Weiner did not submit a [...]

Marysville city clerk resigns

info2018-10-12T10:07:05-05:00October 12th, 2018|

City Clerk Debbie Price will leave her post Friday after 10 years. Price is taking a job as an accounting clerk with Blue Valley Tele-Communications, Home City. She told City Council farewell at their Monday meeting. As her voice broke and eyes filled with tears, Price thanked all council members and mayors she’s worked with, her city coworkers and the community. “A huge thank you to the citizens and community of Marysville,” she said. “The support has been unwavering during the good, the bad and everything in between.” (Read more: The Marysville Advocate)

Durham cheese company ships coast-to-coast

info2018-10-12T11:30:54-05:00October 12th, 2018|

A family-owned farm in Marion County doesn’t sound like the typical location for a national cheese company, but Jason Wiebe Dairy is just that. Located in Durham, the Wiebes ship cheeses to more than 16 states across the country. The products are very popular, and customers will visit Dale’s Supermarket just for the cheese, owner Dale Franz said. “There are people who come in from all around,” he said. “They’ve had it somewhere and they come in because they’re specifically looking for a certain cheese.” The store has featured Wiebe cheeses for three years, Franz said. “It’s something that promotes the [...]

Retired city clerk indicted on stealing $36,500 from city

info2018-10-12T06:27:33-05:00October 12th, 2018|

A retired city clerk from the south-central Kansas town of Caney was indicted Thursday on charges of stealing more than $36,500 from the city, U.S. Attorney for Kansas Stephen McAllister said in a news release. Carole Sue Coker, 69, of Oronogo, Mo., was charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of bank fraud. According to the news release, the indictment alleges that Coker, who served as city clerk for about 40 years, employed a so-called “check for cash” embezzlement scheme to conceal the crimes. McAllister said the indictment alleges Coker embezzled a portion of cash payments made to [...]

Former Kansas sheriff’s deputy sentenced for lying about machine gun

info2018-10-12T06:25:53-05:00October 12th, 2018|

A former deputy with the Hamilton County Kansas Sheriff’s Department was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison for lying to investigators about a missing machinegun, according to U.S. Attorney Stephan McAllister. Robert W. Doty, 60, Guymon, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of lying to a federal investigator. In his plea, Doty admitted that in March 2018 he was interviewed by an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The agent was investigating a report by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that an Uzi machinegun was missing from its inventory. (Read more: Hays [...]

Downtown grocery TIF district approved

info2018-10-12T06:22:06-05:00October 12th, 2018|

A downtown Kansas City, Kansas, grocery redevelopment TIF (tax-increment financing) district was unanimously approved at tonight’s Unified Government Commission meeting. At a public hearing, two comments were heard in favor of the TIF district, from a Strawberry Hill resident and the Downtown Shareholders. There were no opposing comments. Katherine Carttar, who will be the UG’s interim director of economic development, said the downtown grocery redevelopment district includes the entire block between 5th and 6th streets, from Minnesota to Armstrong avenues. A resident of the Strawberry Hill neighborhood said, “Downtown Wyandotte has been a food desert for too long.” This has affected [...]

Sheriff arrests county’s former economic development director

info2018-10-12T09:59:31-05:00October 12th, 2018|

Former Marion County economic development director Teresa L. Huffman was arrested Monday on a charge of misuse of public funds. Huffman, who posted a $10,000 surety bond and was released from jail four hours after her arrest, was charged in district court Thursday. County clerk Tina Spencer said Huffman allegedly misused $46,870.89 in county money. According to Spencer, Huffman worked for the county from November 2006 through May 2017, serving as county economic development director most of that time. According to the complaint, Huffman knowingly misused public funds “by using, lending or permitting another to use public money in a manner [...]

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