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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 [...]

Assistant City Manager Braxton Copley presented two options to the City of Topeka Transient Guest Tax Committee (TGTC) Wednesday to help recover the $17.7 million that has been spent so far on Hotel Topeka. The TGTC voted unanimously to implement a transient guest tax structure to recoup costs related to Hotel Topeka on Aug. 27. The proposal that was approved will result in a 7% transient guest tax increase until 2028 for all other hotels in Topeka, when the rates will drop to 6% and then to 5% in 2033. To recoup the costs, Hotel Topeka will have its own special [...]

You wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but a small well on the northeast corner of Yates Center’s downtown square plays a part in the town’s history. The hand-dug well proved back in the 1800s that if residents wished to locate there, they’d still have a source of water. Wells were dug, at the insistence of landowner Abner Yates, to prove there was sufficient groundwater to put a community smack dab in the middle of Woodson County. It’s why, after a pair of hotly contested elections in the early 1870s between Neosho Falls and Kalida townships, to determine the Woodson [...]

Since 2020, Lawrence has gone from staffing three animal control officers to one, and pressure has mounted for the Lawrence Humane Society and the public to fill in the coverage gaps. An attack from a dog in Centennial Park recently hospitalized a 70-year-old woman and resulted in the death of her chihuahua. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. The aggressor dog, unleashed at the time of the attack, was sent to be quarantined at the Lawrence Humane Society. It isn’t entirely clear who the owner is, according to Lawrence Police Department spokesperson Laura McCabe. The incident has fed into broader community [...]

Park City took an important step Tuesday on a project plan for proposed sales tax revenue bond incentives for the $500 million Champtown development. The major project will span 160 acres in Park City showcasing a boardwalk with an aquarium, butterfly pavilion, multi-sport venues, retail and hotel along I-135. It has been in discussions as part of the STAR bond program for the past three years after a previous project proposed for the site, the former Echo Hills golf course, hadn't seen any forward movement for years. The City Council approved the project plan, also considered a development agreement, during its [...]

Wichita Transit drivers have been trained on how to use naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Drivers were shown how to recognize signs of an overdose and how to use the medication during training provided by local non-profit Safe Streets at a monthly safety meeting. “Naloxone is here to save lives,” Aonya Kendrick Barnett with Safe Streets said. “It does not encourage drug use. Read more: Homepage

After months of gathering input, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city’s center has put together a picture of what they say Wichitans want downtown to become: a community-centric space with more housing options, better walkability, a livelier riverfront and a neighborhood that feels like home. Now Downtown Wichita is preparing for a third open house from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at their 501 E. Douglas office. The come-and-go event will be the nonprofit’s final big push for community feedback before it assembles a new Downtown Wichita Action Plan. Read more: Homepage

Six priorities have been identified to guide future efforts: access to care, behavioral health and substance misuse, food security, transportation, affordable housing and addressing health disparities and community voice. Read more: Hutch News

Jacob Wood was appointed Salina's new city manager, dropping the "interim" title. Wood has had several roles within the city of Salina dating back to 2008 as an intern in the finance department before moving into the city manager's office. Read more: Salina Journal

Early on, the new USD 460 cell phone or mobile device policy was met with broad skepticism. Detractors were worried about being able to contact their children during the school day. However, a week in to the new school year under the new cell phone policy, students have seemed to adjust quickly to having to deposit their mobile devices into Faraday pouches. The pouches have a Velcro closure but can be accessed in case of an emergency. Students store their devices inside the pouch and have it returned at the end of the school day. If a student has to leave [...]