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National League of Cities Launches New Mapping Resource to Support Transit Planning in Municipalities

info2024-03-11T13:53:44-05:00March 11th, 2024|

The National League of Cities (NLC) has released a new resource, the Civic Mapping Initiative, to help local governments and transit planners identify opportunities for improving public transit access to critical civic infrastructure and resources. The Civic Mapping Initiative offers easily navigable maps that allow local policymakers to measure the proximity of local transit stops to public services such as Head Start centers and community colleges so that access can be improved where needed. “Improving access to public transit can help build more equitable communities by opening new doors for residents and changing people’s lives,” NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony [...]

‘We’re tired of this’: Sedgwick County homeowners are seeing an increase in home valuations

info2024-03-11T13:46:41-05:00March 11th, 2024|

Home valuations are arriving in mailboxes across Sedgwick County. Nearly 150,000 people will see an average increase of 10%, meaning they'll pay more in property taxes. Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty says there's a bill being debated in Topeka for a property tax lid, and the county is working on adjusting its upcoming budget to provide some relief to homeowners. "I think that people in this community, we've met a threshold, so there's a lot of conversations happening about how do we relieve pressure," said Baty. Baty says after seeing a similar situation in 2023, he believes there are services currently paid for [...]

Wichita leaders heading to D.C. to push for money for local projects

info2024-03-11T13:36:07-05:00March 11th, 2024|

The Wichita mayor and city council are heading to Washington, D.C., for meetings next week. The road trip is a way to meet face-to-face with lawmakers to push for money for big projects. On the list is money to work on flood mitigation, federal monies to improve Kellogg, and another push to get Amtrack to stop in Wichita. Wichita is getting close to having Amtrak from Texas and Oklahoma stop in Wichita, and the mayor and council will meet with railroad and federal executives to make another push to get Wichita on the list. But the trip is also a chance to [...]

Neosho County commissioner offers to help Galesburg fire with locating funding

info2024-03-11T13:35:03-05:00March 11th, 2024|

Neosho County Commissioner Nicholas Galemore offered to assist Galesburg Fire Chief John Lilburn in finding a funding source for the volunteer fire department. At last week’s meeting in Erie, Lilburn approached the commission with a request of funds for the Galesburg Fire Department. The city of Galesburg, Centerville and Ladore townships have invested approximately $74,000 since September 2023 toward the purchase of new trucks and firefighting equipment, which has depleted each entity’s reserves, Lilburn said in a letter he distributed to commissioners. Thus, more funding is needed for what Lilburn referred to as the department’s critical needs: a firefighting skid; AED [...]

Sedgwick County commissioners talking about sales tax increase

info2024-03-11T13:34:07-05:00March 11th, 2024|

With property values increasing over the past few years, Sedgwick County commissioners are talking about the idea of a one-cent sales tax increase that would be dedicated totally to property tax relief. The idea is being proposed by Commissioner David Dennis, after a report from the County Appraiser’s office showing that residential property values are going up by an average of ten percent this year. Dennis said it’s time for commissioners to look at other ways to fund government and provide services without relying so much on property taxes. The county already has a one-cent sales tax for street and bridge improvements, so [...]

Shawnee County wants to replace your Callery Pear tree with healthier, native species

info2024-03-11T13:32:49-05:00March 11th, 2024|

We're nearing the time of year when flowers and leaves start to bloom, however, you may not want all of them sticking around. The Callery Pear, or Bradford Pear tree is one of the most invasive plants in Kansas. That's why Shawnee County Parks and Recreation is partnering with Deep Roots and the Evergy Green Team to swap yours out. "It's just a tough plant, they can germinate easily and they're pretty tough to get rid of," Park District Manager Tom Hammer said. "It helps to get some more diversity species, diversity out there. Some of the trees they're offering on this buy [...]

JoCo commission OKs controversial soccer complex plan in rural Stilwell

info2024-03-11T13:31:21-05:00March 11th, 2024|

The Metcalf Soccer Complex’s controversial journey through the Johnson County planning process ended last week with approval by the county commission amid continued objections from neighbors who fear usage of the outdoor and indoor fields will cause a “traffic nightmare.” After more than an hour of discussion and three attempts at amendments on Thursday, commissioners voted 6-1 on each of two votes to approve a conditional use permit and preliminary plat for the complex, which is planned for 67 acres east of Metcalf Avenue between 202nd Terrace and 206th Street. In doing so, the commission diverged from recommendations of the East Zoning [...]

Kansas museum is one of the most unique in the world

info2024-03-11T13:12:11-05:00March 11th, 2024|

You can find many interesting and unique museums in Kansas. Hutchinson has the Cosmosphere and Strataca Salt Museum. Greensburg, the Big Well Museum, and Hays, the Sternberg Natural History Museum. You can find the newly opened Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison and the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. However, there's one museum you may not even know about that is one of the most unique in the world: the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum. Martin and Osa Johnson were pioneers in filmmaking and nature documentaries. In the early 20th century, the couple were the first to travel to places [...]

Testing for PFAS, toxic ‘forever chemicals’, set to begin

info2024-03-10T08:58:11-05:00March 10th, 2024|

... EPA is requiring [Topeka] next year to test its drinking water for such unregulated contaminants as PFAS under its Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), [co-interim communications director] Nichols said. "State regulatory agencies, in our case KDHE, set the sampling schedule for all their public water suppliers, including the city of Topeka," she said. "They have set up the UCMR5 testing for the entire state from 2022 to 2026 and ours is set for 2025." Source: CJonline

$126 million project announced to widen US-75 highway to four lanes north of Holton

info2024-03-10T08:55:33-05:00March 10th, 2024|

Federal funding announced Thursday by Gov. Laura Kelly will enable the state of Kansas to widen traffic to four lanes from two on a fatality-plagued stretch of US-75 highway north of Holton. The $126 million project will widen US-75 to a four-lane expressway from Holton north to its intersection with K-20 highway, which connects with US-75 after running east from Horton past the Kickapoo Golden Eagle Casino. Source: CJonline

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