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The city of Prairie Village is locked in on a $30 million municipal complex project, despite some resident calls for a public vote on the issue. On Monday, the Prairie Village City Council in two separate 9-2 votes made critical decisions that moved the $30 million project — for a $23 million city hall and a $7 million police department renovation — forward. Source: Johnson County Post

Thunderstorms moving through south-central Kansas Tuesday morning caused wind damage, flash flooding and power outages across the region, including in Wichita. The National Weather Service recorded a 101 mph wind gust at 4:22 a.m. at the Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita. Several other locations reported gusts of 60 mph or more. Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The city of Westwood wants the public’s input on the future of the former Westwood View Elementary property, months after a public vote effectively scuttled a previous plan that would have turned it into a park. Now, the city finds itself going back to the drawing board to have a say in what happens in one of the last blocks of green space in Westwood. That process is beginning with a community input survey, available online through June 25. Source: Johnson County Post

The month of May brought a stomach-turning moment to the residents of Greensburg, a rural Kansas community that was 95% obliterated by a tornado on May 4, 2007. On May 18, a storm bearing a vivid tornadic signature on radar seemed to be aimed at the town, prompting the second time in Greensburg’s history that a tornado emergency was declared. The one other time was 18 years earlier. But what Greensburg accomplished after a 1.7-mile-wide EF-5 tornado ripped through the town, killing 12 people and flattening public buildings, businesses and private homes, is a testament to what can happen — and [...]

Debate in Prairie Village over the cost of building a new city hall and other improvements. But the suburb says "yes" on moving forward with the massive plan. City council members on Monday night approved authorizing the project and the issuance of bonds for the City Hall and the Municipal Complex Project. Bottom line, the project is moving forward. Source: KSN-TV

A pending agreement means state lines won't be a barrier to first responders when the worst happens. At next Monday's Galena City Council meeting, approval for an updated "mutual aid agreement" with several neighboring communities is expected to be voted on. Galena has worked with several of these communities in the past, and Mayor Ashley Groves says this updated agreement would make sure they were all on "the same page" with when and how to respond. The agreement would be with several communities, like Columbus and Baxter Springs, even reaching across state lines to Joplin and Carl Junction. Source: KSNF/KODE | [...]

Downtown Manhattan is inching closer to having an established area where patrons can legally consume alcohol outdoors. City commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall. City officials will consider an ordinance that establishes the boundary and regulations for a downtown common consumption area. That boundary, according to agenda documents, would include all of Poyntz Avenue from 5th to 3rd Street and the area near the west entrance of the mall. Source: themercury.com - RSS Results in news of type article

A recent report highlights the growing challenge of unrecognized costs and workforce shortages threatening rural maternity care in Kansas, potentially leading to more service closures. Unrecognized costs refer to expenses rural and critical access hospitals face beyond what is recorded in their official cost reports, which are always a year behind. Karen Weis, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, dean of KU School of Nursing Salina and lead author of the report, said, “Some of those costs that aren’t realized are when they don’t have the necessary workforce, be it nurses, anesthesia, lab, respiratory therapy, sonography. Then they must hire costly temporary workers, often [...]

The Hillsboro City Council met on Tuesday, June 3, and learned that the Hillsboro Community Child Care Center (H4C) is nearing its opening date with a current enrollment of 61 out of 99 potential spots filled. “One thing that needs attention is the parking lot and the surrounding areas. It’s bad. There’s been rock there for decades, but after the construction process, it’s pretty rough,” said Hillsboro City Administrator Matt Stiles. Stiles said that city street crews estimate that up to 200 tons of rock would be needed to complete the parking area and some other areas around the building. Source: [...]

Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced five grant recipients will share $250,000 funding through the Residential Opportunities On Main Street (ROOMS) program. Five projects in designated Kansas Main Street communities have been awarded $50,000 each to create a total of 29 new residential units in the upper floors of downtown buildings. Source: Press Releases – Kansas Department of Commerce