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Topeka's city leaders are using some cash to help decorate the North Topeka Arts District (NOTO). The Topeka City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, May 13 to send $52,000 to NOTO. The money will now go towards three separate project areas in the arts district. You may notice the cash at work in the coming days with some improvements to NOTO. Source: KSNT 27 News

Although Wyandotte County has yet to see a reported measles outbreak, public health officials are readying public guidance and offering vaccine services as the disease inches north from southwest Kansas. As of May 7, Kansas’s 48 reported measles cases remained among eight counties in the state’s southwest corner, according to a state dashboard tracking the disease. The state’s northeast counties and others in the Kansas City metro had not reported any new cases as of publication time. The majority of patients testing positive for measles are unvaccinated. Source: The Iola Register

The City of Lawrence is planning to ban people from camping “anywhere in Lawrence” effective in mid-August, representing a change that has long been in the works. Still, the change has come as a surprise to some. Katie Kraus, who is currently experiencing homelessness in Lawrence, said she’s worried about her friends after learning of the camping ban.  “Things are changing really fast and it’s scary,” she said.  Effective Aug. 15, though, “Camping will no longer be allowed anywhere in Lawrence, including Brook Creek Park, Burcham Park and Sandra Shaw Park,” according to a city flyer given to people living outside.  Source: [...]

Kansas Court of Appeals judges have upheld the City of Lawrence’s ordinance intended to ensure voucher recipients can secure housing, finding that “State and local governments have a legitimate interest in protecting the affordability and quality of housing.” The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on renters’ source of income, as well as their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. It also disallows discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status. The ordinance went into effect June 1, 2023.  Source: The Lawrence Times

The city of Leavenworth and CoreCivic will take their fight to court June 9 to determine whether the company can reopen its prison facility as an ICE detention center without going through a permitting process. Attorneys for Leavenworth filed suit in March in U.S. District Court against the Nashville-based company, which ran the Leavenworth Detention Center before it was closed in 2021. CoreCivic announced its intent to reopen its prison facility as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, which would be named the Midwest Regional Reception Center.  Source: The Lawrence Times

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that longer-term interest rates are likely to be higher as the economy changes and policy is in flux. In remarks that focused on the central bank's policy framework review, last done in the summer of 2020, Powell noted that conditions have changed significantly over the past five years. During the period, the Fed witnessed a period of surging inflation, pushing it to historically aggressive interest rate hikes. Powell said that even with longer-term inflation expectations largely in line with the Fed's 2% target, the era of near-zero rates is not likely to return anytime [...]

Overland Park could soon join other Johnson County cities in offering compost drop-off locations through a partnership with KC Can Compost. If the city moves forward with the pilot, then self-service kiosks would be set up in the parking lots of the Matt Ross and Tomahawk Ridge community centers for individuals to drop off their material for composting. People who want to use the composting service must pay for a $13/monthly subscription with KC Can Compost. Source: Johnson County Post

USD 422 Kiowa County is out of school on Monday due to a continued power outage from Sunday's tornado. At 9:53 p.m., a large tornado moved just south of Greensburg, damaging power lines in the county. The City of Greensburg posted that the town was safe after the storm. Southern Pioneer Electric Company said they are working to address outages in Greensburg. Crews said lines were damaged, including areas near Greensburg, Coldwater, Haviland, and Medicine Lodge. Source: KSN-TV

A tornado hit the town of Plevna in Reno County late Sunday into Monday morning. Reno County was already under a tornado warning when the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for Plevna around 11:50 p.m. on Sunday. The tornado that was headed for the town was described as large, destructive, and moving at 35 mph. "Large tornado traveled through ... at one point, we believe it was at least a mile wide," Travis Vogt, Reno County Fire administrator, said. "It hit several houses. Plevna took a direct hit. So far, we have no reports of injuries or fatalities, which [...]

The town of Grinnell in Gove County was hit by a tornado shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. The State Fire Marshal said that he has not heard any reports of severe injuries or deaths. NWKS Radio is asking listeners to stay away from Grinnell because they will not be able to see the downed power lines in the dark. Source: KSN-TV