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Halstead schools one of first in the state to get electric buses

info2023-10-25T12:01:40-05:00October 25th, 2023|

The Halstead School District expects to replace half its diesel buses with electric buses within a couple of weeks. The district ordered three electric buses, and after the charging stations are finished, the electric buses will be added to the daily routes. Dr. Ron Barry, Halstead superintendent, ordered the electric buses after discovering a federal grant known as the Clean School Bus Program. The grant is being offered on a five-year rotation through the Environmental Protection Agency, as a way to reduce emissions from older buses that are larger pollutants. Barry said this aligned with the bus replacement program Halstead was already on. “I [...]

Wichita plans to spend $4.9M to change downtown streets, make them more walkable, bikeable

info2023-10-25T11:57:36-05:00October 25th, 2023|

When voters approved a 1-cent sales tax in Sedgwick County, part of the money was supposed to go to relieve traffic congestion. Now, 38 years later, the city of Wichita wants to use local sales tax dollars to fund a plan that intends to slow down traffic. The Wichita City Council is set to vote Tuesday on whether to use $4.9 million in local sales tax to fund the Wichita Downtown Street Plan. The council approved the project concept in February and hired a design firm in August. The downtown street plan aims to decrease motor-vehicle lanes in downtown Wichita and increase lanes for [...]

Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission delays action on proposed wind regulations after 8-hour meeting

info2023-10-25T12:07:44-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Planning commissioners asked many questions but opted not to take any final action on proposed wind regulations at 2:37 a.m. Tuesday after hearing from 80 people and one peregrine falcon. The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission in January 2022 asked city staff members to review existing regulations for wind energy systems, particularly commercial ones, to better align them with recently adopted solar regulations. City staff members produced a draft of new regulations in January 2023. The planning commission voted in March to form an ad hoc committee to help revise that into a second draft. Get a look at the draft and how [...]

Lawrence eyes changes to Mass Street from 14th to 23rd; community meeting coming up

info2023-10-25T12:08:34-05:00October 25th, 2023|

The City of Lawrence is studying options to change a stretch of Massachusetts Street with a goal of better accommodating drivers, people on foot, wheelchair users, bicyclists and transit riders. The city is conducting a multimodal corridor study on Mass from 14th Street south to 23rd Street, according to a recent news release. The road is part of the priority bikeway network under the Lawrence Bikes Plan. The study will include “safety, efficiency, and equity considerations for all modes of transportation,” according to the release. “A roadway reconfiguration can improve safety, calm traffic, provide better mobility and access for all road [...]

Douglas County to hold meeting on open space plan

info2023-10-25T12:09:02-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Members of the Lawrence and Douglas County community are invited to learn about the county’s open space planning progress and share their feedback during an open house this week. ... “It is an opportunity for community members to stop by and learn about the project team’s progress and to provide feedback,” according to a news release from the county. “There will be activities for children and a raffle entry for all attendees.” This open house will build on previous events held in May and June. Project team members will look to gather feedback on the focus areas and preliminary recommendations, according [...]

Child care options revitalized with $11.5M grant

info2023-10-25T12:10:33-05:00October 25th, 2023|

To help remedy the state’s child care shortage, 27 organizations have been allocated $11.4 million to open up more child care slots across the state. Gov. Laura Kelly, in conjunction with the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, announced a second wave of funding for child care programs Thursday as part of an initiative meant to accelerate the development of more child care options statewide. “Building off the grants announced this summer, this funding will be transformational for families and communities across the state,” Kelly said. “Expanding access to high-quality, affordable child care will spur economic growth by allowing more families [...]

Pittsburg State’s new division focuses on growing SEK economy

info2023-10-25T11:45:10-05:00October 25th, 2023|

A new division at Pittsburg State is looking into ways to grow the economy in Southeast Kansas. The Economic Development and Community Engagement division hopes to use the resources of the university for partnerships and collaborations with businesses. Officials say the goal is to transform southeast Kansas into a place where students will want to live and work after they graduate. The division was previously known as University Strategic Initiatives, which renovated four historic buildings in Pittsburg and helped develop the Kansas Polymer Research Center into the National Institute for Materials Advancement. "Now we're just sort of taking that to the next level in [...]

As more Kansas students miss school, districts look for ways to entice them back to class

info2023-10-25T11:43:25-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Three years after the pandemic sent most Kansas kids home to learn, schools have a vexing new challenge: getting them to come back to class. Missing school has become a crisis statewide. More than one in four Kansas students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year, which means they missed at least 10% of instruction time. That figure nearly doubled over the previous two years. State education leaders are still compiling data from last school year, but they expect the problem is getting worse. “Definitely a dramatic uptick … which is not what anybody would want to see,” said Robyn [...]

‘Choose Topeka’ sees boost after Telemundo coverage

info2023-10-25T12:12:11-05:00October 25th, 2023|

A local organization is seeing record interest for a program that aims to bring more people into the Capital City. Greater Topeka Partnership (GTP) team members are wrapping up the third year of "Choose Topeka" in big way. GTP told 27 News around 140 individuals and families have moved to the community through that program so far. For the past week, they've seen quite the large influx in interest outside of the state, thanks to coverage by Telemundo in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Choose Topeka team has received hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails from all over the [...]

Heartland Flyer subject of virtual public meeting

info2023-10-25T11:40:14-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Expansion of the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton will be the subject of a virtual public meeting being hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT is looking at providing rail service between Oklahoma City and Newton, where it would connect with Amtrak's Southwest Chief. The Heartland Flyer currently provides daily service between Ft. Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City. The Southwest Chief provides daily roundtrip service between Chicago and Los Angeles. It also has stops in Garden City, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City, Missouri, in addition to Newton. The virtual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 8, starting [...]

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