Finney County Economic Development Corporation President/CEO Lona DuVall spoke about data centers during her FCEDC update at the Finney County Commission meeting on Monday. DuVall said she hoped to give a quick timeline of where the county is at right now with data centers looking to come to the area. The FCEDC first contact regarding data centers was in November 2024, when the Lone Bison project and TED Renewables reached out and said they were looking at doing a project, but had not secured leases or anything else yet. They came out and met with Finney County Commissioners in January 2025, [...]

Sedgwick County commissioners unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new applications for large-scale solar projects at their meeting on Wednesday. The temporary red light comes as the county considers two applications for massive solar energy developments, though the pause won’t affect those projects. Commissioners supporting the moratorium said the current applications can be used as a case study to test the county’s regulations and application process. Commissioner Jeff Blubaugh said the public brought several concerns to his attention, which he felt called for more questions and prompted his support of the half-year break. Read more: KSN-TV

The Salina Police Department is investigating a crash that left an e-bike rider in critical condition. Shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, police and fire crews were dispatched to the area of South Centennial Road and Sunflower Lane for a report of a cyclist struck by a car. Upon arrival, crews found a 66-year-old man with critical injuries. Police said the man was riding an e-bike south on Centennial Road when he was struck from behind by a vehicle. Read more: KSN-TV

Reno County commissioners spent nearly two hours at Monday’s meeting discussing whether to ban battery energy storage systems and data centers in certain parts of the county. After an intense debate, two proposed motions to impose the bans were ultimately rejected. Community members showed up and spoke from the audience, generating a back-and-forth between them and commissioners. Read more: KSN-TV

It’s been over a year since half of a Kansas town was wiped out by a powerful EF3 tornado, and now it’s receiving federal funds to help its recovery. On Wednesday, the federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Grinnell is receiving $300,000 for repairs or replacement of roads, curbs and road signs damaged by the May 18, 2025 tornado. The $300,000 was part of $77 million in federal funding approved by FEMA in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Jewel Maier, Grinnell’s city treasurer and administrator, told KSN in April that the funding had been held up by staffing shortages at FEMA. [...]

At the end of a relatively short meeting early this week, the Girard City Council applauded the efforts of a former city councilman to help the city look its best. Mayor Nick Cheney noted former councilman Dennis Everett’s work to repair the fountain at City Hall. “I want to thank Dennis Everett for buying the pump for the water feature up front and installing it,” said Cheney. “He also fixed the broken light for the flagpole out front.” Summer officially arrives this weekend, which means more activities and more visitors in town. Read more: Morning Sun

The Topeka City Council discussed recommendations regarding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could help create 229 affordable housing units across the city Tuesday night. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee received six applications. Of those, three projects were recommended to receive funding. The three projects include: SENT, Inc. Wible Property Development LLC Highland Park REO LLC “We have three projects that we are recommending funding, just under a million dollars, that will roughly create around 229 additional affordable housing units in our community,” Carrie Higgins, Housing Services Division director. Read more: KSNT 27 News

Beginning Thursday, June 25, the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program (SEK-CAP) is to start accepting applications for the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program. The TBRA program, funded through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, provides rental subsidies, security deposits, and utility deposits to eligible people and families, who may receive up to two years of assistance in Allen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Elk, Labette, Linn, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson Counties. Read more: Morning Sun

Hutchinson City Council Member Steve Garza said he changed his mind on data center development in the city and discussed the council considering a 10-year moratorium on data center development Tuesday evening, during the council comments portion of the meeting. After attending a special Reno County Commission meeting Monday evening, Garza said he learned new information and what residents thought concerning data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) development. He added that he considered proposing an election to decide the fate of data center development, as well as outright banning it. However, banning development could lead to potential legal issues [...]

Opponents of data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS) will have a town hall meeting Monday evening, June 22, just outside Haven. The meeting, organized by the “No BESS or Data Centers in Reno County” group on Facebook, is scheduled for 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s Lighthouse building, 8513 E. Arlington Road. A flyer for the meeting says information about hazards of those industries will be presented, along with how people can be involved in opposing them in the county. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune