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The Wichita Police Department (WPD) has been testing gunshot detectors in some areas of the city since 2022. Now, the department is preparing to make them a permanent part of detecting gun violence. The new detectors use artificial intelligence to alert dispatch and officers when gunshots are detected. Source: KWCH

The state is finalizing potentially more than $150 million in Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bonds to bolster the development, which it and developers predict will bring in more than two million visitors annually. Source: Wichita Eagle

After months of construction, the community was able to see some of the more high visibility aspects of the Halstead Bond Project on April 3. Both Halstead High School baseball and softball officially opened their respective facilities in action when hosting Pratt in a game that was moved thanks to weather concerns. School board members from Halstead were on hand to throw the ceremonial first pitch at each field. Source: Harvey County Now

A group of Lawrence landlords have taken their argument against the city’s ordinance meant to ensure voucher recipients can find housing to a higher court. The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on renters’ source of income, as well as their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. It also disallows discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status. The ordinance went into effect June 1, 2023. The Landlords of Lawrence — an association of 30-plus local landlords — filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing the language [...]

The municipal market selloff intensified Wednesday amid the shifting implementation of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on imported goods from around the globe. Following Trump's announcement that the largest tariffs against most countries had been delayed for 90 days, the muni market had a subdued reaction as the damage done earlier in the session held. U.S. Treasuries whipsawed and ended mixed while stocks rallied on the news. Very few deals priced in the primary as most issuers and deal teams pulled the transactions amid the volatility. Munis saw large losses for the day, with some scales paring back losses. Source: The [...]

The Bond Buyer took the pulse of professionals in various sectors of the municipal bond market to see what they are doing and advising in the midst of the market turmoil driven by President Trump's erratic tariff policies. Alice Cheng, director of municipal credit and investor strategy at Janney, said she'd advise both investors and borrowers to play it safe. Players in equities and fixed income markets are "reacting to everything that the administration has to say," Cheng said. "To mitigate that, perhaps wait-and-see is a better option." Source: The Latest

Voters in northwest Wyandotte County on Tuesday will decide the fate of a proposed $32.5 million bond for ongoing improvements in Piper Unified School District. The item, if successful, would greenlight the second in a two-phase districtwide improvement plan to accommodate rising enrollment amid space limitations. Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Structural repairs to two of Wichita’s oldest high schools have cost nearly $60 million over the past three years — an expense leaders say prevents them from upgrading and repairing other district buildings. “This is the reality of our situation,” said Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld. “When we have these kinds of expenses going toward two buildings, the other 88 buildings are hard to keep up on.” About four years ago, crews discovered structural problems in a science wing at Wichita's East High School, which is more than 100 years old. School officials shuttered 18 classrooms in that wing of the school for [...]

Galena voters pass a bond proposal for school upgrades. USD 499 Bond Question: If the bond question passes, it would allow the school district to borrow $7.5 million to fix and improve school buildings, enhance safety, and build new facilities, without increasing taxes. Source: www.koamnewsnow.com - RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

State leaders approved recognizing the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Wichita as the state's official memorial on Wednesday. The move comes after it was vandalized this week. On Tuesday, the Kansas Firefighters Museum took to Facebook to share that the museum and memorial had been vandalized. The Wichita Fire Department took it upon themselves to clean up the memorial on Wednesday, but the building cannot be power-washed. Source: KSN-TV