A new data center has been proposed at the old Forbes Field in Topeka. The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) held data center presentation at the Oct. 13 Topeka city council meeting. This comes after both Shawnee County and the city of Topeka passed moratoriums on data center development within county and city limits. Curtis Sneden, president of the MTAA, spoke about the plan for a potential data center. The developer currently has no client to occupy the site once built.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The Overland Park Police Department announced an update Wednesday to the departments policy on using automated license plate readers. OPPD said automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are tools that help officers find stolen vehicles, spot vehicles used in serious crimes, etc. The department announced Wednesday it met with a host of community groups and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to alter some use guidelines.
Read more: KSHB News

The company behind one of the hyperscale data center proposal projects in De Soto, Kansas, announced it is preparing to provide direct credits of up to $1,000 for every household in the city.
Digital Realty is preparing its 300-acre site for a data center at Astra Enterprise Park near the Panasonic Plant. Construction is expected to start in 2027. Beale Infrastructure has started construction on its data center campus down the road from Panasonic and Digital Realty’s site. But even with the promise of Digital Realty’s money, neighbors are still skeptical of what the project could mean for their everyday life.
Read more: KSHB News

Kansas Main Street State Director Drew Simpson told a packed Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet on Tuesday that enforcing building codes on vacant downtown properties and retaining a well-paid Main Street director are essential to the city’s downtown revitalization efforts. Simpson, who spent 10 years with the Georgia Main Street program before taking the Kansas post, said he had never seen so many people at a community meeting. Lindsay Madison, president and CEO of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, gave Simpson a tour of downtown before he spoke.
Simpson said Kansas Main Street will make a baseline visit next year, distribute community questionnaires the following year and return for progress and alignment visits to assess whether the local strategy is working.
Read more: The Bourbon County Monitor

The city’s planning commission on Tuesday hashed out initial regulatory framework for local data centers in Hutchinson, focusing on eight topics that are now guiding efforts to create permanent zoning rules for the hotly debated developments.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Nine new black squirrel statues will be unveiled during Black Squirrel Fall Fest Oct. 24 in downtown Marysville. The unveiling begins at 3 p.m., kicking off an afternoon and evening of activities for all ages.
Read more: www.marysvilleonline.net

Downtown Marysville has officially earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the district’s architectural heritage while opening up new opportunities for investment in its historic buildings.
Read more: www.marysvilleonline.net

Violators of Prairie Village’s e-bike and e-scooter ordinance are now more likely to get a citation instead of just a warning. After more than a year of educating the community about new restrictions on e-bikes and e-scooters, the Prairie Village Police Department now plans to move “to a more aggressive enforcement, including citations,” according to an Oct. 1 city email. Kids riding e-bikes and e-scooters — and even faster-moving e-motorcycles that require a driver’s license — have become an increasingly prominent trend across Johnson County. And safety concerns have grown alongside that, especially as parents of kids struck by cars have spoken up, urging for more safety.
Read more: Johnson County Post