A powerful supercell thunderstorm produced eight tornadoes that touched down between 8:13 and 8:55 p.m. Wednesday in Chase County, injuring two people, one when a car was picked up, the National Weather Service said. No one was killed. Cottonwood Falls, the county seat of Chase County in east-central Kansas, is located about 65 miles southwest of Topeka. One of Wednesday evening’s injuries resulted from a “semi that was rolled” and the other from a “car that was picked up with glass breaking,” said information shared by the Wichita office of the National Weather Service.
Source: CJonline

The Small-Town Water and Sewer Infrastructure Assistance and Grant Program is now accepting pre-applications for funding. This program is funded from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Funds as recommended by the SPARK Executive Committee and approved by the State Finance Council in December 2022.

This funding opportunity will provide up to $10,000,000 in short term sewer and drinking water grant funding to local governments. Eligible funding recipients would include cities, counties and other identified political subdivisions who have populations less than 1,000 people and are experiencing a health or regulatory compliance issue that an infrastructure project would resolve.

Eligible local governments are encouraged to submit a pre-application form, which can be found on the KDHE Applications Webpage, no later than June 30, 2023. Selected applicants will be notified of their funding awards by August 31, 2023, and projects will be prioritized according to the severity of the health or regulatory compliance issue being resolved (please note projects that resolve issues through regionalization will rank higher than individual utility projects).

Additional information on the application process, program guidelines and eligibility requirements for grant funding can be found in the KDHE STSWIA FAQ.

Should additional questions regarding the Small-Town Water and Sewer Infrastructure Grant Assistance Program be identified, please contact Amelia Ness (Amelia.Neis@ks.gov) for water related questions, or Cara Hendricks (Cara.C.Hendricks@ks.gov) for sewer related questions.

Park City residents could vote on a citywide 1 percent retail sales tax as early as Aug. 1. The tax could help fund a range of community projects without a property tax increase. The city council on April 11 voted 5-2 in favor of a 1 percent sales tax referendum. The city has a June 1 deadline to submit the paperwork to get on the Aug. 1 ballot. If an election were held on that date, the sales tax would take effect in January 2024. “The sales tax could go for anything that we already pay with mill levy support dollars,” said City Administrator Sean Fox. “… There’s roads, the connectivity plan, the parks master plan, the downtown plan, sidewalks — whatever council would normally utilize with the mill levy.”
Source: Ark Valley News

In a job that can be stressful and challenging, Valley Center bus driver Gail Johnson made it look easy for 45 years. That’s because she’s enjoyed nearly every minute of it. “I have enjoyed driving,” Johnson said. “I’ve always enjoyed driving… I’ve been doing it a long time, just getting out and going and keeping busy. For the most part, I’ve had a good bunch of kids and I’ve really enjoyed it.” This school year marks her 45th with the Valley Center school district. She started in 1978.
Source: Ark Valley News

With 2023 marking 125 years since the construction of the Smoky Valley Roller Mills in 1898, this year’s annual Millfest on May 6 is looking to be the best it’s ever been. Held the first Saturday every May, Millfest is the one time every year that the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum turns on the antique machinery across the four floors of the mill and opens it up for guided tours. Lenora Lynam, the museum Executive Director, said it’s a rare sight, especially since the Old Mill is the only working mill using 19th century roller mill technology in the Midwest.
Source: Great Bend Post

hose who work in the fire service face hazards every day while on the job, but one hazard they might not think about is cancer. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), announced the launch of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer online enrollment system for firefighters across the nation. … While participation is voluntary, all U.S. firefighters, with or without cancer, are encouraged to join the NFR for Cancer; these include: active and retired firefighters; career, paid-on-call, and volunteer firefighters; structural firefighters; wildland firefighters; instructors; fire investigators; and other members of the fire service.
Source: Liberal First