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Trees down all over Lawrence after storm; meteorologist says harsh winds were likely a downburst

info2024-08-02T09:36:41-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

Trees were destroyed and damaged all across Lawrence in a storm late Wednesday. Thursday morning light revealed the extent and the collateral damage from felled limbs and branches. Damage was widespread across town. Robert Bieniecki, director of Douglas County Emergency Management, said there were 40-plus reports of trees or limbs down, 12 reported power lines down, 14 reports of arcing power lines and two reports of traffic signals out. They did not receive any reports of injuries, he said. The city is canceling its city-load compost event set for Saturday and will instead open the compost facility to Lawrence residents only [...]

Kansas maternal health care deserts mean hardships on mothers, communities and providers

info2024-08-02T09:30:57-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

Thirteen counties in Kansas ceased to offer obstetric care services from 2013 to 2023 — a statistic that points to a shrinking availability of maternal care in Kansas, the lack of which can cause poor outcomes in pregnancy and delivery, overburdened hospitals and long drives for women seeking adequate care. Jennifer Cunningham drove more than six hours for care at the University of Kansas Health System for two of her four, high-risk pregnancies because she didn’t feel the limited obstetrics department in her home area of Garden City could take care of her. Garden City, with a population of about 30,000, [...]

City announces 2024 street improvement plan

info2024-08-02T09:27:36-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

The City of Great Bend Public Works Department has released information about this year’s projects pertaining to driving surfaces. A news release from the department notes that streets and projects are chosen each year based on condition assessment and what can be done within the budget. Projects for this year are highlighted on three maps. The first map shows select alleyways scheduled for resurfacing, pending City Council approval, at a cost of $145,000. At the upcoming council meeting on Aug. 5, staff will present select asphalt alleyways with ongoing issues. The majority of them are in residential areas. This work will [...]

10-year Treasury yield dives to the lowest since December after weak jobs report

info2024-08-02T09:25:13-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield dropped to its lowest since December after a weaker-than-expected jobs report for last month added to fears that economic growth is slowing. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury was last at 3.853%, down 12 basis points, or 0.12%. Earlier, yields hit a low of 3.79%, the lowest level since December 2023. The 2-year Treasury yield was last at 3.966% after dropping more than 19 basis points. Yields and prices have an inverted relationship and one basis point equals 0.01%, or one one-hundredth of a percent. Treasury yields tumbled after the July nonfarm payrolls report showed [...]

Kansas v. Missouri stadium battle shows how states are reigniting border wars

info2024-08-02T09:23:02-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

For decades, academic research has been clear: Taxpayers almost never get their money back on subsidized sports stadiums. And yet, over and over again, U.S. cities and states find themselves locked in lopsided negotiations with beloved football, baseball and basketball teams, hoping to keep them from jumping to a new market. In the newest bidding war, Kansas aims to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs or MLB’s Royals from their side-by-side stadiums in Missouri just a few miles away. It could be one of the most expensive stadium deals yet, according to Victor Matheson, [...]

WPD leaders share plan update for ‘real time’ information center

info2024-08-02T09:20:26-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

Leaders of the Wichita Police Department hosted a town hall on Wednesday to discuss the “real-time” information center that they want to have up and running by next spring. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said advancements in technology, which are used every day, will keep people and officers safer. “It’s going to be a game changer for crime fighting here in Wichita,” said Sullivan. Chief Sullivan said they will soon have the technology, already used by departments across the country, to allow 911 calls to be heard from officers in that specific area in real-time. He also said they will have [...]

Reno County Commissioners approve Yoder water deal

info2024-08-02T09:18:23-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

On Wednesday, Reno County Commissioners approved the purchase of water from Hutchinson for the Yoder water district. Commissioners said there isn’t enough water to meet the district’s needs without the purchase. County documents show the agreement has been in the works for months. According to those documents, Hutchinson will provide a monthly average of 32,000 gallons to Yoder, a town that has dealt with high nitrate levels in its water for a while. The purchase still has to be approved by the Hutchinson City Council. If it is approved, water rates in the district may go up because of the cost [...]

Topeka releases results of new homeless population count

info2024-08-02T09:16:30-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

The City of Topeka released the results of its summer Point in Time Homeless Count Thursday. City spokesman Daniel Garrett issued a press release on Aug. 1, 2024 containing the results of this year’s second count of the homeless population in Topeka. As a result, city officials found nine additional homeless people living in the city since January 2024’s count. This second count of the homeless took place on July 17 and is meant to give a snapshot of conditions and circumstances surrounding the local homeless population. More than 40 people helped conduct this count. Garrett said 546 people and 433 [...]

New housing options coming to Topeka

info2024-08-02T09:13:52-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

New options for housing are coming to Topeka. Tuesday, July 30, Topeka’s City Council approved having accessory dwelling units (ADU) within single-family zoning districts. ADU’s are already legal in multi-family districts and downtown districts. This will allow for a smaller independent houses to be on the same lot as a single-family home. The goal for this is to fill gaps in the city housing market and increase affordability. “We’ll have standards related to size, so there will be size limitations,” Planning Division Director Dan Warner said. “We’ll have requirements that one of the two units has to be owned or occupied, [...]

Reno County drug diversion offers some another chance

info2024-08-02T09:12:25-05:00August 2nd, 2024|

The Reno County first-time drug offender diversion program began at the beginning of this year. Since then, 21 people have been involved with the program, and only one has not succeeded so far. “The best benefit is that they move away from drug use and become productive citizens,” District Attorney Tom Stanton said. “If they’re successful and become productive citizens, we’re not spending money on prosecution, arrest and detention, jail and court costs and so on. We don’t use jail as a sanction much in this program, so we’re saving money in the county jail.” If people complete the program and [...]

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