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The City of Shawnee has launched a new wayfinding plan for downtown to help residents and visitors navigate the area, find parking and enjoy sightseeing. On Thursday at its monthly Moonlight Market event, the city launched the Downtown Shawnee Wayfinding Plan, a feedback gathering initiative where residents voice their opinion on parking and accessibility downtown, as well as places and landmarks people should visit, which all reflect the spirit of downtown. From there, permanent signs will be created to highlight the feedback they received. Read more: Johnson County Post

The city flag of Overland Park has long been considered among the worst in the nation. A new flag set to be adopted next month, with its tree motif and green and white color palette, is much more effective, according to the North American Vexillological Association. Read more: Up To Date

A 26-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Police officer was hit and killed early Tuesday by a fleeing suspect in a stolen car, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said, exactly one month to the day after a Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputy was killed. Officer Hunter Simoncic, 26, was intentionally struck while throwing stop sticks in the 7200 block of State Avenue after 12:40 a.m. while officers were attempting to apprehend a man, the KBI’s Dustin Wallace said. Dennis Mitchell III, 31, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a [...]

Plentiful wind and finite water shape life on the Plains. Audrey Rupp, a lifelong resident of western Kansas, knows the region well. These days, she manages a 1,660-acre recreational park in Hodgeman County that surrounds HorseThief Reservoir, a refreshing anomaly that long existed only in the imagination.   “It’s crazy to me that people started talking about building a reservoir out here back in the 1930s,” she says with a grin. HorseThief Reservoir glimmers among rugged bluffs made verdant by summer rains. This is Rupp’s fourth year serving as park manager. The native of Tribune, a community of about 750 people in [...]

City leaders from Hays and Russell met Wednesday to review progress on their joint R9 Regional Water Supply Project, a decades-long effort to secure a sustainable water source for both communities. The two cities have been working together for years to develop a property they own in Edwards County into a long-term supply. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty said the project has been in the regulatory process for a decade. “Hays and Russell are jointly developing a property they own in Edwards County as a long-term water supply,” Dougherty said. “We are nearing the end of the process, but we have [...]

Another Kansas community is exploring the creation of a common consumption area. Dodge City is looking at creating common consumption areas. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the city commission will be taking public comment on creating common consumption areas where visitors can openly transport alcoholic beverages between bars and restaurants in certain portions of the city. Read more: KSN-TV

A Kansas emergency medical service needs stuffed animals. Ellis County EMS is seeking new teddy bears to stock their ambulances. The department gives the animals to children who have to ride in their ambulances to make the experience less frightening for them. Read more: KSN-TV

The Park City City Council approved a $145 million STAR bond proposal on Tuesday to fund the Champtown development by a vote of 8-1. The planned $500 million, 160-acre development would include an 80,000-square-foot aquarium, retail, restaurants, a butterfly wonderland, and a baseball and softball complex. Read more: KSN-TV

Multiple agencies are investigating after natural gas was detected in the new Fox Ridge housing development in Newton. Newton Fire/EMS says Kansas Gas Service crews are using vacuum trucks to remove gas from the ground to reduce any risk of ignition. Officials say homes in the area are not in danger, but the source of the gas remains unknown. The gas was first discovered Friday during a site survey near Southeast 10th and Logan. Kansas Gas Service later determined the gas is not coming from its utility lines. Read more: KSN-TV

Starting next week, you can walk along downtown Salina with an alcoholic drink in hand. The city’s common consumption area begins Sept. 1. People 21 and older can buy alcohol from licensed, participating businesses and drink it in the designated area. "Maybe somebody had dinner and drinks across the way at a restaurant or bar, and they're now going to make their way down to the theatre for a show, but they want to stop at your gallery on the way, you can decide," Lauren Driscoll, Salina Director of Community and Development Services, said. "You can take that drink with you [...]