Newton resident Meagan Waltner used to wait until her two children ate to eat. If there were leftovers, she ate something. If not, she didn’t. That was around 2009, when she raised two kids as a single mom. What’s going on with the economy now reminds her of what it was like then. Now, her children are grown, and one lives at home. She’s having trouble making ends meet. “I’m working right now,” she said. “I’m not getting as many clients as I need, so things are really tight.” She’s a therapist at a group practice and is self-employed. Sometimes, she [...]

A federal plan to reduce flood risk of Turkey Creek in downtown Merriam may require up to a decade of additional planning and construction, as well as the removal of 17 buildings. After four years of design work and $6.5 million, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revealed 65% of its plans for flood mitigation in downtown Merriam — namely, 740 feet of levee, more than 6,000 feet of floodwall and the replacement of both the Merriam and Johnson Drive bridges. The city of Merriam has yet to sign onto the Corps’ plan, and is simultaneously mulling a flood mitigation plan [...]

For the past year, Madison Moore has managed to bring a piece of Hawaii to landlocked Johnson Countians. Her love story with baking started early, in a junior high economics class. She got a KitchenAid mixer after that, and began whipping up baked goods for her family and friends. Today, her Hawaiian-inspired baked goods have worked up a following by making appearances at farmers markets in Lenexa and Mission. This winter, her bakery, Mahalo Mornings, will start a new chapter further south. Madison Moore and her father, Tim Moore, plan to open Mahalo Mornings’ new cafe in downtown Olathe by the [...]

News that England’s national team will stay in Prairie Village while training for the World Cup created a stir when it hit in February. But now that the team’s arrival is imminent, England fans and ex-pats are wondering if they’ll have any chance to glimpse their standard bearers in person. They also say they don’t expect mobs of the team’s supporters — who have a long-standing reputation for, shall we say, passionate revelry — to descend on Johnson County. The problem is, none of England’s group stage matches take place in Kansas City. Even if the team comes out on top, [...]

When it came time to cut the ribbon at the opening of the new Overland Park Farmers’ Market space in the Clock Tower Landing area, city officials were surprised by the size of the crowd. “We did not anticipate this many people being this excited,” said Bryan Toben, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, to the assembled group. Part of what makes it more accessible than the old space is that part of the construction involved flattening out what used to be a 10 to 12-foot grade change from the top to the bottom of the market area, just [...]

The Manhattan City Commission, with a 5-0 vote, approved a resolution that opposes the suggested incorporation of the City of Green Valley in Pottawatomie County. The resolution will be submitted for Pottawatomie’s Board of County Commissioners June 11th public hearing.   If approved by Pottawatomie County, the area would become its own municipality with authority over local governance matters, rather than remaining solely under Pottawatomie County jurisdiction. Read more: KCLY Radio

The Hutchinson Planning Commission voted Tuesday, June 9, to recommend temporary zoning requirements for large-scale data centers and utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in order to give the city time to make permanent regulations. If the Hutchinson City Council approves the proposed temporary regulations at its July 7 meeting, the city will prohibit large-scale data centers and utility-scale BESS in all residential districts and require conditional use permits for them in commercial and industrial zoning districts but would permit BESS used for on-site needs and server rooms serving a main use at the same location. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

In a rare public appearance Wednesday, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Wichita businessman Phil Ruffin outlined his vision for his Gilley's entertainment complex in Park City after recently securing the popular Country Stampede music festival. Gilley's will partner with the Lenexa-based Kustom Entertainment (NASDAQ:KUST) to produce and host music festivals throughout 2027, including the three-day Country Stampede festival that will relocate to Gilley's next June as part of a multi-year agreement. Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Nine residential units in South Hutchinson will receive cash incentives from Reno County, aimed at reducing their price and increasing residential development in the city. The South Hutchinson City Council approved nine $7,000 incentives at its regular meeting Monday, with six payments for homes to be completed and sold by the end of 2027 and three for homes to be sold by the end of 2028. All homes will be built by Free State Builders in the Prairie Ridge subdivision , near Bluestem Drive off west Blanchard Road. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Young trainers took on the Greenbush Pokemon Gym Challenge, aiming to “catch ’em all” as they visited four themed gyms on the way to the champion gym. Organizers said the event was designed to give families a fun experience while encouraging creativity, movement, problem-solving and positive student engagement. Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com