A fire damaged the Paris Park pavilion in Arkansas City on New Year’s Day. Arkansas City Fire/EMS Department responded to the fire around 4 a.m. Firefighters found heavy flames engulfing the south end of the pavilion. Crews were able to contain the fire in the area, preventing further spread and minimizing potential damage. Damage is estimated at $10,000. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Arkansas City Police Department Lieutenant Detective Jason Legleiter at 620-441-4435 or Chet Ranzau, Arkansas City Fire Marshall, at 620-441-4430.
Source: KSN-TV

The nightmare plaguing the state of Kansas’ court systems is almost over. On Tuesday, Kansas Courts spokeswoman Lisa Taylor said in a press release that a new portal allowing people to search through Kansas district court cases online is fully operational, with some drawbacks. For example, this portal is temporarily out of date while courts work to feed in case information filed on paper. The Kansas District Court Public Access Portal was one of several systems impacted by a cyberattack in October last year. Online systems associated with the Kansas Courts have been struggling to recover in the aftermath. “In the short time we’ve offered free online case search for district courts as part of our Kansas eCourt modernization plan, it has become our most popular service,” Chief Justice Marla Luckert said. “Restoring the ability to search case information online is yet another major milestone in our restoration plan.” Other features restored recently include the ability for people to pay fines, fees and costs online through the portal and the Kansas eCourt case management system. Information on recent payments, similar to case information, accessed through the portal may be out of date for the time being. Payments processed on Oct. 12 and after may not show up in the payment portal.
Source: KSN-TV

A line drawn in the sand, or in this case, mud, accompanies a deadline from the city of Lawrence, demanding homeless camps move away from a levy along the Kansas River. WDAF-TV spoke to some of the people living beyond that border, one week away from the threat of their removal. Jan. 8 is the date the city of Lawrence posted, saying by then people need to move at least 15 feet away from the levy due to federal regulations and concerns about maintenance. But few tents have been moved so far. The area is in the sightline of City Hall, behind Johnny’s Tavern just north of the river. It’s the areas outside of the city-sanctioned camp that is being targeted, with a line of orange spray paint following the levy in the unmanaged, yet still busy, camping area. “But it seems to me that there’s going to be some kind of problem with people who don’t want to leave, and I can’t see them being invited to do something,” said Mark William Keplinger, who lives at the sanctioned camp. “Everyone’s arguing over who owns what or what owns what or what this is all becoming. And I’m like, it is what it is. Just get along with it,” said Jimmy Lee Lierhadley, who lives in the area outside of the city fencing. “Well I didn’t notice it went down really until they said something the other day,” said a 44-year-old man also living outside of the fenced area. The line cuts through his tent. He said it was painted while he was at work doing construction. “I told [my boss] my situation, and he needed a laborer and he went out and bought me these work boots,” he said, bringing the boots out of his tent.
Source: KSN-TV

A holiday tradition in Lyons has been around for nearly a century. Those in the community take great pride in the tradition. “When I come home for the holidays, when I see that bell and star, that bell and star is home,” Teresa Schafer from Lyons said. “It means that I’m home for the holidays, and I know that that is a lot of people. You know you see the bell and star on the bell and star means home. And that’s not only me that is so many people.” In 1936, Oscar Laudick, Schafer’s great-grandpa, created the star to go on top of the courthouse. He was a custodian there. Then, in 1938, the bell was created after lights were hung from the star to the corner of the courthouse, looking like a bell. In 1951, a radio antenna was added to the courthouse, so the bell and star were moved to its current location, the Lyons water tower. Laudick rebuilt the star going from four feet to 10 feet. Each year, the bell and star is paid for by donations. Many will donate in memory of someone when they pass away. Laudick’s daughter JoAnne Arie always made sure there was money for the project, but she died in 2023. So, Schafer took it upon herself to set up a GoFundMe. They raised the $5,000 they needed in two weeks. The bell and star has gone up in price every year, but Schafer says the tradition will never stop. “There is not a single person that does not love that bell and star,” Schafer said. “There is not a single person that would not do what it took to keep that beloved star going.” The star looks like a star from any angle. The white bulbs are painted black, with a small spot of light showing on each side.
Source: KSN-TV