The Girard Public Library, in collaboration with the Wildcat Extension District, is hosting an event titled “Backyard Chickens & Incubating Eggs.” Organizers say the presentation was by Adaven Scronce from K-State Research & Extension. The event covered topics such as caring for chickens, housing requirements and design, and the fundamentals of incubating eggs.
Source: KOAM News
At least two members of the Wichita City Council are sounding the alarm, saying that there’s a public safety crisis. With recent violent crimes and a possible officer shortfall on the way, some are saying that we need to spend money now. “It’s pretty clear what’s happening in Wichita right now, and we have a public emergency,” said Wichita City Councilmember Bryan Frye on Monday. Frye, who is running for mayor right now, says the city needs to take a hard look at spending some of the City of Wichita’s projected $12.6 million surplus for the next budget cycle on hiring and retaining cops.
Source: KSN-TV
First responders across Johnson County Monday received a lesson in active shooter training. FOX4 got a look inside a hostile event response training at Shawnee Mission West High School. Several agencies are working to stay alert in the name of safety. A hostile situation can mean anything from an active shooter to a bomb threat. Agencies from across Johnson County are working together to stay ready to respond. This was training made to feel real. The bullets were blanks, but the practice police, fire and EMS receive is vital.
Source: KSN-TV
After an anonymous quarter-million-dollar donation and subsequent leasing issues, plans to build a renovated skate park in Emporia were moved to a new location. In 2021, 13-year-old Maddox Gutierrez started a petition to improve the Santa Fe Skate Park in Emporia. After the anonymous donation, the project ran into an issue: BNSF was the owner of the Santa Fe Skate Park land and only leased the property to the city under the condition it was used for ballparks. A new location was found on city-owned land at Whitter Park.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Starting Monday, the Topeka Fire Department (TFD) will be taking applications for the Citizen’s Academy, an event for the community to learn about TFD and to increase fire safety awareness. The Citizen’s Academy is returning “after a brief hiatus” and will hold classes from 6-8 p.m. from Sept. 14 to Oct. 12. Attendees will graduate with a certificate of attendance and learn about CPR and first aid training, fire prevention, home escape planning, fire extinguisher operation, experience an extraction demonstration and more, according to the TFD.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Throughout 2023, Shawnee has been working to build a program that emphasizes health and wellness in the community and capitalizes on existing partnerships with outside organizations. And, it’s all supported by a $90,000 grant city staff landed last year. The timing was everything for Shawnee’s grant. Last year, Shawnee Parks and Recreation Program Manger Matt Mann heard about a grant opportunity from the National Recreation and Parks Association and the Wal-Mart Foundation called the Community Wellness Hub. He said the timing was perfect since the city had just recently wrapped up its parks and recreation master plan process, which lays out the vision for the city’s park system and programs for the next decade or so.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Mission’s Broadmoor Park is on track to get a brand new walking trail later this year. Located at 5701 Broadmoor Street, a full demolition and rebuild of the walking trails at the park is expected to cost the city $306,935. The city council will consider approval at a future meeting. This is a longtime priority for the parks, rec and tree commission. The city began master planning improvements for each of its five major parks in 2019, said Penn Almoney, parks and recreation director. About $2 million worth of conceptual plans for Broadmoor Park were ultimately approved, including a trail improvement for 2023, he said.
Source: Prairie Village Post
The owner of Brentwood Apartments says much work needs to be done for the complex, built more than half a century ago, to be a viable affordable housing option in Wichita moving forward. And it’s asking the City Council for a hand. On Tuesday, Virginia-based CRS Housing Preservation Inc. will request a letter of intent from the Council to issue industrial revenue bonds up to $23 million to finance the costs for Brentwood Place LP, a newly created entity tied to the organization, to purchase and renovate the 196-unit complex at 6602 E. Harry. The request also involves a sales tax exemption on construction materials.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission will begin the selection process to bring a historical horse racing facility to Sedgwick County on Tuesday. The Mayor of Park City says that it’s been a 16-year-long battle to bring a facility like this to the area. in 2007, the Wichita Greyhound Park closed shortly after Sedgwick County voters said “no” to slot machines. Now with the possibility of the park being given new life, the Mayor says the City Council is hoping that will happen but says both proposals could mean significant opportunities for the city and south-central Kansas.
Source: KSN-TV
… the City of Lawrence is planning to create a department specifically focused on unhoused people. The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2024 includes creation of a Homeless Programs Department with a budget of $2 million. The draft budget anticipates about $471.3 million in total expenditures in 2024. “Affordable housing and homelessness were the top identified issues facing our community during the strategic planning process,” City Manager Craig Owens wrote in his 2024 budget memo to the commission. City commissioners will review the draft budget Tuesday during their regular meeting at City Hall. The budget discussion will be a work session, so the commissioners will provide feedback and hear public comment but will not take any binding votes on the budget. There are more than 200 people experiencing homelessness in Lawrence currently, according to the city’s estimates, which city and county staff members have consistently said is likely much lower than the true number. The city is not a service provider. Instead, the city provides emergency and sanctuary shelter, giving providers such as Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) access to the population.
Source: The Lawrence Times
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