Back in August, the city of Sedan announced it was facing a level 3 water emergency. They are still in the midst of an emergency as the water manager is calling it a 100-year event. The local car wash has closed down and the city pool was closed three weeks early. People have been asked not to use water for outdoor use. The reductions have worked as the city has cut water usage by over 25 percent. They did receive rain today, something that makes the Water District 20 manager James Rainbolt hopeful. "We're still at stage 3. Hopefully the rain [...]

Dozens of water breaks in Emporia are leaving many without water for hours at a time. The city manager says the city's main water tower was taken offline on September 6. "It is a 33-year-old water tower that we have taken offline to do some interior repairs to it," said the City Manager for the City of Emporia, Trey Cocking. The removal caused water pressure to shift in the last week, and water pressure has caused 36 water breaks in local neighborhoods. "We're experiencing a much higher volume than normal," explained Cocking. Source: KSN-TV

This week multiple local and state leaders are in Illinois continuing the push to bring Amtrak to Wichita. Sedgwick County Commission Chair, Pete Meitzner, the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Senator Carolyn McGinn, and Representative Avery Anderson are attending the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission Annual Meeting. Nine states meet with the Federal Rail Administration (FRA), Amtrak, and others to discuss passenger railways. Some are looking at updating tracks, others want to add more trains, and in Wichita, the goal is to bring the Heartland Flyer Extension to Wichita to connect to Oklahoma City and the national Amtrak network. Source: KSN-TV

If you've lived in Wichita long enough, you probably know of a few hidden gems around town. Maybe you're aware of a bit of our city's history that isn't well-known. Vanessa Whiteside's motto is "Stay Curious." She's written a pair of books about Wichita. The latest features Wichita's off-beat locations and tucked-away treasures. Many of them, you may already know about, and some you don't. The author, who has signed copies of her new book inside Watermark Books and Café, grew up in Wichita, graduated from Southeast High School, and loves researching her hometown. Source: KSN-TV

Wichita will begin the process of selling part of its single-family public housing stock after receiving long-awaited approval from the federal government. “This is really a once in a generation opportunity to add affordable housing stock to the private market,” Sarah Gooding, a real property section manager with the city of Wichita, said at a city board meeting in August. “Many of these homes are at the lower end of the price range. We’re hoping to see affordable homes for first-time buyers and affordable rentals.” The city announced in January 2022 that it would split its 352 single-family public housing units into several groups [...]