The Kansas State Department of Education says there is a real lack of early childhood options across the state, rural and urban. But a new facility opening in Hutchinson aims to fix that and could play into a larger trend. After more than a year in development, Hutchinson’s Lil’ Hawks Child Care Center’s is enrolling students. The result of multiple groups cooperating and raising funds, the facility comes as a relief to some parents, as it nearly doubles the school district’s early childhood capacity. Read more: KSN-TV

The Wichita City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to install a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 9 near Kellogg and Edgemoor. The box will be like the one added in Garden City last year. It would allow a parent or parents to give up a baby legally, anonymously and safely. The boxes are strategically placed in places like fire stations. Read more: KSN-TV

Monday marked 19 years since the first recorded EF5 tornado hit Greensburg, destroying 95% of the town. The “EF” stands for Enhanced Fujita, which replaced the original Fujita scale in 2007. The last F5 tornado to hit the U.S. was the 1999 Oklahoma City tornado. The Greensburg tornado struck on May 4, 2007, killing 12 people and injuring 63 more. The storm destroyed 961 homes and businesses, left 216 with major damage, and caused minor damage to another 307 structures. In months and years following the tornado, the city devoted itself to building back as a green community. Just one year [...]

The El Dorado City Commission is giving voters the chance to decide the fate of a 1% sales tax. The commission voted 5-0 on Monday to put the question on the August ballot. If approved, the tax would help support the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital. City officials hope it can sustain access to quality healthcare and support the town’s growth. David Dillner, El Dorado’s city manager, said the private hospital may not be top of mind for most residents, but to some, its services could mean the difference between life and death. Read more: KSN-TV

Kansas politicians are grappling with how to lower property taxes. Pratt thinks it has a solution, trading one tax for another. The city commission is considering putting a sales tax question in front of voters in an August special election. The commission is considering two options to raise Pratt’s current 9% sales tax, according to Mayor Kyle Farmer. The first would increase the sales tax by 0.5% with a city property tax reduction of 13.285 mills. The second is a 1% sales tax increase with a city property tax reduction of 26.570 mills. The city calculates that a half-cent sales tax [...]

Students and staff of schools across the U.S. are reeling after learning that a well-known hacking group breached private information in the database of Instructure, which powers education technology systems like Canvas. The breach poses security risk to dozens of colleges and universities, as ShinyHunters, the gang taking credit for the incident, has reportedly sent extortionary messages to Canvas users. Canvas is used by schools nationwide for assignments and grade tracking. TechCrunch reported on the news on Tuesday, after a member of the group shared a sample of the data they’d allegedly accessed. Read more: KSNT 27 News

A proposed data center in Pottawatomie County drew a large crowd of residents during an open house hosted by Georgia-based Beltline Energy in Wamego on Wednesday, May 6. The company is exploring plans for a data center project in the county, an idea that has surfaced in multiple Pottawatomie County Planning Commission meetings in recent months. During the open house, representatives from Beltline Energy outlined potential economic benefits of the proposal, including increased tax revenue and high-paying construction and operations jobs. However, many residents attending the meeting voiced strong opposition to the project, citing concerns about water use, environmental impacts, noise [...]

The Hutchinson City Council approved temporary test amendments for data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) zoning. Additionally, they would begin the process of introducing permanent text amendments for data centers and BESS. The vote was unanimous. Under these rules, large-scale data centers and BESS would not be permitted in any residential areas. These amendments will be taken before the planning commission, and a public hearing will be held before they are brought back before the council for approval. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Haven City Council voted four to one in favor of holding a sales tax election on Aug. 4. Council Member Nicole Sander was the only dissenting vote. The ballot measure would be a 1% sales tax, without a sundown date. The council heard a presentation on the topic from financial advisor Joey McLiney. The city is hoping that a sales tax might help pay for electric infrastructure improvements. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Big Kansas Road Trip brought hundreds of curious visitors to Humboldt this weekend. Organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating Kansans about Kansas, the trip to Humboldt seemed to check all the boxes. “It was a wonderful day,” said Monica Frye, Explore Kansas Program Manager. “So many people found great things to explore in Humboldt. They realized it was a unique, bright and welcoming community.” Read more: The Iola Register