A small Kansas town has agreed to pay $850,000 to a former reporter at its weekly newspaper to end her federal lawsuit over a police raid of the paper's offices in 2023 that ignited a national furor over press freedom. Read more: KSN-TV

The U.S. Department of Justice is pouring nearly $290 million into communities across the country to boost public safety, and nine places in Kansas are getting a piece of the pie. The major funding boost comes from the federal government’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. Since 2005, the program has helped state and local police departments buy gear, upgrade technology, and train officers. “This funding strengthens our state, local, and tribal partners’ ability to address violent crime,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. said in a news release. Read more: KSN-TV

A western Kansas community is being urged to be vigilant after a mountain lion was spotted near a popular park. The City of Liberal said Monday that a mountain lion was seen near Arkalon Park, about 10 miles northeast of the city. The city said that wildlife officials have been notified. It encouraged visitors to stay aware of their surroundings and to keep children and pets close by. Read more: KSN-TV

The Vote Yes Yes for Wichita Kids committee hosted a USD 259 bond campaign kickoff rally Saturday at Wave Wichita in downtown. It is in support of a two-question $615 million bond issue that will be on the Nov. 3 general election. The bonds will fund projects like new heating and air conditioning systems, preservation improvements and rebuilding several schools. Read more: KSN-TV

HaysMed, NMC Health in Newton, Clara Barton in Hoisington and the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital in Larned have teamed up with three other rural Kansas hospitals to form what’s known as a clinically integrated network in an effort to increase care and lower costs. But they’re not jumping in blind. Instead, they’re following a plan that’s succeeded in other states shepherded by Cibolo Rural Health Networks. Read more: KSN-TV

Hillsboro fire chief Ben Steketee will retire Monday after what he candidly describes as a 25 year second chance career. In 2021, after three years as a star volunteer firefighter, he was elevated by then-Mayor Dolores Dahlke to take the paid helm of the department. But he felt obligated to unload a troubling fact on her: “There’s probably something about me you don’t know — I’m a convicted felon,” Steketee told her. “It’s not for arson, is it?” asked the mayor, as incredulous as anyone would be who knew the cheerful, reliable first responder. Read more: Marion County RECORD

A new proposal for an arts and entertainment complex in Gardner is pushing big plans for a 335-acre space on the north side of I-35 at 175th Street. Velocity Arts is a mixed-use plan comprised of many pieces, including a 15,000-seat indoor concert venue, a school focused on media production, apartments, a shopping area with restaurants and a grocery store and a hotel with a spa. Also in the plan is a performing arts center containing a mainstage theater as well as a black box theater for community use. The busy interchange at I-35 has been on the Kansas Department of [...]

With their backs against the wall, Humboldt Council members voted Monday evening to pursue costly renovations to their wastewater treatment plant.  “We’ve kicked the can down the road for 10 years. I wish we had 10 more, but we don’t,” said Cole Herder, city administrator, adding a decision must be made before the end of the month as to how to proceed in order to make the deadline for the next cycle of federal and state funding.  The least expensive options were in the $3 million to $4 million range. Constructing a new plant within the facility’s current footprint would be [...]

The Allen County Sheriff’s Department announced it will no longer subscribe to get information from automated license plate reader cameras set up major highways throughout the county. While Maness recognizes arguments about civil liberties, his primary reason for ending the subscription was the cost involved. Mounted along major highways entering and leaving the county, the small automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras blend into utility poles and roadside infrastructure. Many are operated by Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that provides automated license plate reader systems to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The cameras photograph license plates and vehicle characteristics, creating a searchable database [...]

Following some concerning findings in the latest audit, new Lawrence City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry said he wants each city department to take a close look at processes, and there will be tough choices to make. “When you create a system of of order, you get you get an outcome of order,” he said. Al-Ghafry, who just attended his first commission meeting last week, is still getting his bearings. But in previous work as a project manager, he said he knew every detail of projects — budgets, expenditures, where the project manager is, and so forth. He said it’s imperative to do [...]