Retiring North Newton Municipal Judge Levi Goossen was honored during the town’s city council meeting on Monday night. “Tonight, we are recognizing the career of the longtime Municipal Judge Levi Goossen,” North Newton Mayor Ron Ratzlaff said. “The city warmly congratulates him on his retirement and long-standing service to the City of North Newton.” Then, Ratzlaff presented Goossen with a gavel and shook his hand. Read more: Harvey County Now

For an hour a day, four days a week, it will be quiet time at the Hesston Aquatics Center. This summer, Hesston Recreation and Community Education will be offering a low-sensory swim hour from 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. There will be a focus on fewer people in the pool, with the sound system turned off during this time and emphasis on less splashing with no yelling. Cost for this time of low-sensory or adult lap swim is $2. Regular day passes run $5, with family passes starting at $120 and increasing depending on the size of the family. [...]

Are Flock cameras constitutional? That’s the question that Commissioner Becky Reimer said a couple of her constituents asked her, so she asked Harvey County Sheriff Chad Gay about it during his monthly report to the commissioners. His simple answer: yes. He said the Flock cameras have been ruled constitutional by the courts. The county installed four Flock cameras in the summer of 2025, placing them on the east and west sides of Highway 50 at the county borders and the north and south ends of the county on I-135, also near the borders. The cameras take pictures of license plates as [...]

Friday, May 15, marks the return of Burrton’s farmers market for 2026, with special entertainment by Mariachi Jalisco from 6 to 7 p.m. The markets run from 5 to 8 p.m. at the library park and are sponsored by the Burrton Community Foundation (BCF). Also at the market on May 15 will be Tortas Mary food truck and Veronica’s Kitchen with Agua Fresca. A piñata and various vendors with handmade/homemade/homegrown items round out the evening. Read more: Harvey County Now

USD-440 Board of Education President Zach Mabry formally welcomed Halstead High School Principal Chad Baalman as the district’s next superintendent on Monday evening during the board’s monthly meeting. The board held a special meeting 30 minutes before graduation on Saturday to officially vote on the selection to replace current Superintendent Dr. Ron Barry, who resigned in April. Mabry congratulated Baalman on his new role. Mixing in a full day to interview in the middle of graduation week, Baalman called the last few days an emotional roller coaster. In an interview with Harvey County Now, Baalman said he’s excited with a little [...]

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the Kansas Department of Commerce awarded over $1.3 million in Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grant funding to support 15 building renovation projects across the state. When matched with nearly $3.9 million in local contributions, this round of HEAL funding brings the total investment to approximately $5.2 million available to revitalize downtown buildings. By providing matching grants through a competitive process, HEAL helps communities transform dilapidated and underutilized spaces into thriving hubs for businesses, housing, childcare, arts, civic activities and entrepreneurship. These awards are specifically designed to revitalize rural downtown districts throughout Kansas. In doing so, HEAL fosters reinvestment, encourages community engagement, and boosts the overall economic health of Kansas [...]

Data centers are “unfortunately” here to stay, a Pottawatomie County official said this week. Shanna Goodman, Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation executive director, spoke Monday to the Pottawatomie County Commission regarding the ongoing discussions of data centers. She likened the conversation to similar discussions when Jeffrey Energy Center came to the county nearly 50 years ago. Goodman explained that regardless of any decisions the county makes, the digital infrastructure of data centers isn’t going anywhere. Read more: News Radio KMAN

Jackson Turner is anxious and frustrated.  He and his family are worried that a proposed data center-plus-solar project in the sand hills of southwest Kansas could turn their farmland into an industrial site, displacing them and killing their crops.  Ross Marston, Turner’s stepfather and a longtime Sandsage Prairie farmer, is afraid of what might happen when out-of-town developers realize how difficult it is to construct anything on the extremely fine, powder-dry sand hills. Such skepticism and resistance is widespread. Kansans are flocking to public meetings statewide as numerous data center proposals are on the table in the aftermath of a 2025 [...]

Reno County is hoping to become a premiere destination for golfing. After taking public comment, the Reno County Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to create a special district to help fund the Salt Lick Golf Resort development. Commissioners approved the boundaries for a Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond Project District. In those districts, bonds taken out for development are repaid with sales taxes generated in the designated area. In this case, the district is limited to land owned by the developer. Read more: KSN-TV

County commissioners on Monday extended a moratorium on data center development for another year while reopening questions about whether past wind-energy regulations were adopted through proper public process. After hearing a planning commission recommendation to delay action until after the county updates its comprehensive plan, commissions unanimously approved extending a moratorium on applications related to data centers in unincorporated areas through June 1, 2027. Read more: Marion County RECORD