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As summer winds down and school looms around the corner, a quick little jaunt into Cherokee County may be the perfect daytrip, especially for area history buffs. Baxter Springs is a quiet little town today, but it has played a significant role in Kansas history for more than two centuries. After the Osage were driven from the Ohio River Valley by the Iroquois in the mid-1600s, they moved west into Kansas. Adopting traditions common to Plains tribes, by the 1750s, the Osage became the dominant nation in eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and western Missouri. Read more: - Latest Stories

USD 246 is in rare company for a district that serves approximately 500 students, recognized alongside much larger school districts such as Hesston USD 460, Hutchinson USD 308, Piper USD 203, Shawnee Mission School District and Wichita Public Schools for its efforts in providing pathways for students beyond high school. The Northeast School District recently received recognition for its efforts with its Individual Plans of Study (IPS), offering kids a roadmap to explore potential pathways post-secondary. Read more: - Latest Stories

Nine current and former students have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Lawrence Public Schools, alleging the district’s use of a controversial AI surveillance tool violates student privacy. The AI tool, called Gaggle, sifts through anything connected to the district’s Google Workspace — which includes Gmail, Drive and other products — and flags content it deems a safety risk, such as allusions to self-harm, depression, drug use and violence. But Gaggle also censors “messages containing innocuous phrases such as ‘called me a,’ ‘called her a,’ ‘very uncomfortable,’ and ‘my mental health’,” the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges Gaggle [...]

New trails and other nature experiences are among the possible plans for a 3,000-acre park near Panasonic. Johnson County Park and Recreation is asking for the public’s opinion during an open house Saturday as it works on plans for the park – the biggest in the county’s history. The county wants to bring both new recreation activities and outdoor experiences to residents in the area while also preserving green space in a rapidly developing part of the county, spokesman Kellen Jenkins said. Read more: The Eudora Times

Jenny and Chris Garmons’ house caught on fire last year when construction workers rebuilding a home on the lot next door used a backhoe to knock down a tree, ripping the electrical wires off the couple’s home. Their house aflame was a more extreme aftermath, but the Garmons said that on a more regular basis their home shakes when construction next door is happening, with the noise carrying over into their house easily. As homes in their neighborhood continue to be torn down and rebuilt, the near-constant construction is starting to take a heavier toll on their quality of life, the [...]

A bobcat was spotted in a Johnson County neighborhood Wednesday, July 30, a few weeks after a baby bobcat was rescued and returned to its mother in the same area. The bobcat was found at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the southeast corner of 95th Street and Santa Fe Drive Trail in Lenexa, according to a report from local television news station WDAF. Read more: Homepage

Wichita police officers now have access to the gunshot detection technology the department has been testing since February 2022. Police said that they found that 83% of gunshots in testing areas were never reported. The hope is that Flock Safety’s Raven gunshot sensors will catch those gunshots, ensuring police respond to any shots that are fired in the areas where the sensors are up. Read more: Homepage

For years, I’d been hearing about a little Italian restaurant in a little Kansas town that might be worth checking out. Recently, a close friend who loves both restaurants and road trips was having a birthday, and I was trying to think of a fun way to celebrate with a group of 10 people. That little restaurant came to mind. It’s called Renaissance Cafe, and it’s the only restaurant in tiny Assaria, population 425, which sits roughly midway between McPherson and Salina. In fact, says chef and general manager Adrienne Lynn, it’s the only restaurant in about a 20 mile radius. [...]

U.S. Treasury yields tumbled Friday after investors considered a far weaker-than-expected July nonfarm payroll report and weighed the effect of President Donald Trump's raft of new tariffs on economic growth. The 2-year yield note yield plunged more than 24 basis points to 3.702% as traders reassessed the likelihood for a Federal Reserve interest rate reduction at the central bank's next meeting in September. The 10-year Treasury note yield fell 14 basis points to 4.222% while the 30-year bond yield pulled back 7.6 basis points to 4.809%. Read more: Bonds

With a snip of scissors, a vibrant splash of color was officially unveiled to help enliven the popular pocket park. Recent Sedgwick High School graduate Austin Thieme spent over 200 hours painting his “Postcard from Home,” mural which was displayed on Aug. 1. Thieme’s studio name, BThieme Studios has given the University of Arkansas bound student a chance to leave a lasting mark and legacy. The mural was painted in regular outdoor, latex paint with his goal to diversify in all mediums. Read more: Harvey County Now