Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday faced public calls for a moratorium or ban on battery energy storage systems and data centers, following a work session where they heard research on fire risks and rural water limits. No local projects have been proposed, but county commissioners in July 2024 asked staff members to look into how those land uses should be addressed in county codes.  Planner Karl Bauer presented research Wednesday showing these uses are undefined in the county’s code outside of solar accessory rules, meaning that battery energy storage systems, or BESS, would already be allowed in the county alongside a [...]

The Phillipsburg Fire Department has been honored with the Gold Helmet Department distinction by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), marking a significant milestone in the department’s commitment to personnel safety and long-term health. The prestigious recognition is reserved for fire departments that enroll at least 50% of their active personnel in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer. Read more: The Sunflower State Radio Network

Taxes for those visiting Topeka is about to get higher. On May 5, The Topeka City Council voted to increase the transient guest tax percentage that was going to decrease in the next couple years. Mayor Spencer Duncan said those on the Transient Guest Tax Committee have had some talks about raising the percentage to stay current. "This is an effort to just simply get in line with what the rest of the cities in our area and our size throughout Kansas are already doing," Duncan said. "It's an effort to stop the decrease of this, which is the current move [...]

Topeka settled two lawsuits for $1.025 million. On May 1, the city announced two settlement deals: one with Topeka police administrators Jana Kizzar and Colleen Stuart and the other with Capt. Jennifer Cross. "The settlement agreement and related payment is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the City," a city press release stated. "The City is committed to treating all employees fairly and respectfully in accordance with its Personnel Manual and applicable laws." The money used for these settlements will come from the special liability fund, which is separate from the city's general fund. Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

The Hutchinson Board of Education again decided to put off a resolution for another school bond at its meeting on Wednesday. Members started discussions after reviewing community survey results and looking at what an updated school bond could look like. Based on the 1,200 survey responses, the community thought the former $110 million school bond was too expensive and had too many projects. Others were in favor of a different approach that would focus on updating and maintaining existing schools. Read more: KSN-TV

Cawker City is one of four places nationwide featuring balls of twine that residents say hold size records. When farmer Frank Stoeber began making a ball out of the twine that littered the floor of his barn on Dec. 24, 1953, he had no idea that ball would one day grow into a popular tourist attraction. Read more: CJonline

Newton High School seniors Toby Spreier and Izabella Hinojos know what it’s like to be tased. It’s not because they’re on the wrong side of the law; it’s because they’re in training for employment on the right side of the law. One of the highlights of his internship was taking part in a ride-along with an officer who got a call to do a vehicle check in Sedgwick. It turned out to be a hit-and-run DUI suspect, he said. Both have internships at the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, with Hinojos doing it for a year and Spreier for a semester. Read [...]

The results are in, and the Harvey County Planning and Zoning Commission decided not to move forward with nuisance regulations at this time. That was Karen Rothe’s message to commissioners on Tuesday morning. Rothe, the county’s planning, zoning and environmental director, said the survey conducted earlier this year showed that an overwhelming number of people didn’t want to see any changes. The results show that 470 people responded to the survey, the most responses the P&Z received on a survey in over 10 years. Read more: Harvey County Now

Wichita may have another sales tax initiative on the horizon after Justice Together, a grassroots interfaith coalition, prompted elected officials to verbalize their commitment to put one on the ballot to support affordable housing and homelessness.  All three council members in attendance Monday, Joseph Shepard, Dalton Glasscock and J.V. Johnston, said they would give Wichitans a chance to vote on the initiative if it had sufficient public backing to justify an election.  Read more: KLC Journal

Federal Reserve officials who voted this week against the post-meeting statement said they didn't think it was appropriate to signal that the next interest rate move would be lower. Regional presidents Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis and Beth Hammack of Cleveland released statements explaining their votes, offering similar rationale regarding the verbiage in the statement — but not over the decision to keep a hold on rates form their current position. Read more: CNBC