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A new notification system is being adopted by Saline County. Salina 911 in conjunction with Saline County Emergency Management, the Salina Fire and Police Departments and Saline County Sheriff’s Office have partnered with Regroup for a new mass emergency notification system to keep the community informed and prepared during critical events. The system provides real time alerts based on your location. Alerts can be sent either by phone, email or text. Read more: Ad Astra Radio

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications recently launched its Fire Dispatch Priority System (FDPS) to further support the processing of fire-related calls. FDPS is a structured tool that will enhance existing operations by guiding 911 call takers through key questions to efficiently gather critical information. It also supports the delivery of pre-arrival instructions when appropriate, such as how to safely exit a building, and allows fire departments to align response configurations with the most accurate and up-to-date information available. Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

Legislators want the state of Kansas to pay local law students a stipend if they promise to practice in a rural part of the state upon graduation. They also want to repay the student loans of working rural attorneys. It’s all part of an effort to address a persistent rural attorney shortage. House Bill 2595, or the “attorney training for rural Kansas act,” creates two programs meant to attract and retain practicing attorneys in the state’s rural areas. More than 40% of the population lives in a rural part of the state but only 20% of the state’s attorneys practice there. [...]

City officials have provided an update on the sinkhole that first appeared in Emporia on Monday. Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking said the sinkhole near the intersection of Commercial Street and 10th Avenue was caused by a collapsed 44-inch stormwater line. According to Cocking, the line was more than 100 years old and made of nonreinforced concrete. Over decades, the weight of the soil above the line contributed to its collapse. The sinkhole was first discovered Sunday morning by an Emporia police officer. City crews quickly responded and closed off the section of Commercial Street surrounding the sinkhole indefinitely until it [...]

The Olathe Police Department has launched a new program that deploys drones as first responders. “Drones as First Responders” (DFR) is an initiative designed to strengthen community safety through innovative technology, the police department shared. “By providing real-time intelligence and video to officers, DFR will improve operational efficiency and support both citizen and officer safety,” the department said in a news release. DFR drones will be deployed in specific situations to give responding officers a live view of the scene. They may also be used in hazardous environments, where sending people in immediately could increase risk. Read more: FOX 4 Kansas [...]

Five parks in Garden City have a new installation – playground communication boards which allow children to communicate their needs, ideas, and feelings by pointing to or selecting symbols. Ticia Herd, Garden City Parks and Recreation Director, said the boards were installed between two and three weeks ago, around the middle to end of February at Bob Halloran Park, Deane Wiley Park, Finnup Scout Park, A. Harold Long Park and Finnup Park. Dixie Teeter, a Speech Language Pathologist with the Kansas State Department and member of the group Southwest Kansas Konnect, Include, Support Summit (SWK-KISS), said idea for the communication boards [...]

Along with bond construction at the schools, Halstead residents will also be dealing with sidewalk and road construction for the next couple of months. Last week, Halstead city officials met with Lochner, an infrastructure services provider, to discuss pre-construction issues related to the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) improvements project. Construction is set to begin this week, according to Halstead City Manager Ethan Reimer. Read more: Harvey County Now

To address anticipated growth in the southwestern portion of the county associated with the redevelopment of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant into the Astra Enterprise Park, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners adopted updates to the Comprehensive Arterial Road Network Plan (CARNP) on Thursday. The plan outlines recommendations for future transportation needs and access management on arterial roads in the southern and western portion of the county. The plan does not make final determinations on any road improvements but identifies policies to manage access and plan for adequate traffic capacity on arterial roads. Read more: Johnson County Kansas

If you’ve been watching the Prairie Village market closely, you’ve probably noticed something that is a bit harder to quantify at first glance. The move-up market, particularly between $600,000 and $1,000,000, feels tight. Not new, not surprising, but more noticeable right now. The data supports that feeling. Over the past four to five years, the median closed price in Prairie Village has climbed from roughly $400,000 in 2022 to about $519,000 today. That is steady, healthy growth. At the same time, the median price of active listings has moved much more aggressively, now sitting well above $900,000 and even reaching $1.25 [...]

Soon, Merriam residents and business owners will get the chance to weigh in on the city’s much-discussed plans to transform its downtown. The Merriam City Council on March 9 took a step forward in its effort to shape the future of the downtown area, unanimously approving a $292,000 contract with Overland Park-based Shockey Consulting to create a downtown master plan. Over the years, Merriam has significantly invested in reshaping its downtown through a decades-long collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to shield the area from the flooding from nearby Turkey Creek. The city has also completed studies, such as its 2040 comprehensive plan and [...]