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Monday was a busy day at the Hillsboro water plant. A hot, windless weekend had created an algae bloom at Marion Reservoir, meaning iron and manganese levels had shot up in the town’s water supply. Water plant employees —three in total, plus Richard Fine, a retired Agco employee who helps out — learned of the bloom immediately, thanks to a buoy system that measures oxygen levels at the reservoir water intake. Source: Marion County RECORD

In a dispute stemming from Marion withholding incriminating open records, a judge awarded more than $75,000 Thursday to the District Judge Ben Sexton had ruled April 4 that the city acted in “bad faith” and ordered it to pay the legal fees of Bernie Rhodes, who represents the Among the documents the city concealed was a text message from then-Mayor David Mayfield saying he had met with Sheriff Jeff Soyez and then-Police Chief Gideon Cody three days before police raided the paper’s newsroom and told Cody he “was behind him and his investigation 100%.” Source: Marion County RECORD

The Topeka City Council voted to approve cuts to city code regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) under the condition the matter be referred back to committee so that future amendments can be made. City Councilmember Spencer Duncan motioned to approve changes recommended by Policy and Finance Committee during the Tuesday, June 17 meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Karen Hiller and passed 5-1 with Deputy Mayor Brett Kell voting no. The proposed amendments came after news the city was about to lose $45 million in federal funding unless the city removed language pertaining to DEI. Source: KSNT 27 News

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has issued a declaration of disaster Wednesday due to widespread damage caused by recent storms and flooding. Kelly issued the proclamation just after 2:30 p.m. on June 18. The declaration was prompted by recent severe weather in parts of central Kansas from June 16-17. Kelly's declaration allows for resources to be used to help provide state assistance to areas hit by the severe weather. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has partially activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to monitor flooding and help counties with any weather-related recovery needs they might have at this time. [...]

Arkansas City is cleaning up after several rounds of severe weather brought heavy rain, large hail, and widespread power outages. The city says it received 3.87 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 4.83 inches since Sunday. Tuesday night’s storm dropped golf ball to baseball-size hail, damaging property and breaking car windows. Source: KSN-TV

In the next few weeks, Sedgwick’s downtown pocket park will come alive with color and pride. The city council unanimously approved a proposal from 2025 Sedgwick High School graduate Autin Thieme to paint the outside wall of the police department in the pocket park for a cost not to exceed $14,000. Source: Harvey County Now

An advisory group told Wichita school leaders Wednesday that the district needs to clarify its message and rebuild trust in the community before seeking another bond issue. District leaders wanted the financial oversight committee to recommend putting a bond issue to voters by March 2026. But committee members rejected that plan, saying the state’s largest district has not made a clear case for why it needs a bond or precisely how it would use the money to rebuild and repair schools. Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Parking meters will begin to be installed along Douglas, Emporia and St. Francis streets in downtown Wichita next week. The installation marks the beginning of paid parking downtown. Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Kansas farm income in 2025 is expected to be among the strongest in the last 20 years, bolstered by $2 billion in government payments for depressed crop prices and weather conditions, an agricultural economics expert said Tuesday. Source: Kansas Reflector

The Garden City Commission gave direction to staff to move forward with amending the city’s Code of Ordinances and Zoning Regulations to allow for indoor smoking and cigar lounges at its regular meeting on Tuesday. Source: Garden City Telegram