News

The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will review staff recommendations to create a limited tenant right to counsel pilot program for the 2027 fiscal year, despite a renter-led advocacy group’s calls for a program to support all renters facing eviction. Lawrence Tenants, the renter advocacy group, has gone before the county commission multiple times with a proposed ordinance for tenant right to counsel, which would ensure that all renters in the county have access to legal representation throughout an eviction. Despite being in talks about a program for more than a year, the county has not implemented TRTC, and commissioners asked [...]

Manhattan Mayor Karen McCulloh said 2025 saw some major change in the way the city government streamlined its processes for voting on ordinances and resolutions. McCulloh joined Within Reason on News Radio KMAN Thursday to recap some of the highlights of the past year. In June, the commission approved a measure to allow items to be approved on a single reading, rather than two, as had traditionally been done for years. The change was intended to speed up routine or time-sensitive decisions after concerns were raised that city government processes move too slowly. McCulloh said she’s gone back and forth on [...]

A coalition of local leaders and industry experts are looking to sway Airbus to keep its A220 pylon manufacturing in Wichita, though the European planemaker has said it intends to relocate the production line to France. Read more: Wichita Business Journal

As a billionaire businessman who already owns two popular, profitable casinos in Las Vegas, Phil Ruffin Sr. knows a thing or two about what brings in customers. So even though his new Gilley’s entertainment complex in Park City only has pari-mutuel betting — it’s not a casino — he’s transformed his former greyhound park into an entertainment playground that he believes will attract adults and children from around the region. “It’s gonna blow your mind,” Ruffin said. “Everybody’s going to be surprised at what we did at the track. It’s something that even Vegas hasn’t seen yet. It would compete very [...]

The Washington City Council voted in a special meeting last week to proceed with discussions to transition from the current volunteer ambulance service into a 24/7 service that provides countywide ambulance service. The decision came after a 2-2 tie vote with mayor Garett Edgar casting the deciding vote in favor of proceeding. Read more: Backroads News | Washington County News

Salina City Commissioners Tuesday authorized Mayor Greg Lenkiewicz to execute agreements to pause enforcement of a federal judge’s ruling in November Salina’s sign codes are unconstitutional and authorizing appeal of that ruling to the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals. This centers on an ongoing battle between the Cozy Inn and the city over a mural on the north wall of their building, which the city said is not allowed under city sign codes. The court ruling held Salina’s sign codes were unconstitutional based on murals having to be non-commercial. As part of an agreement entered into between the Cozy Inn [...]

The Olathe City Council has appointed a new city manager following current current City Manager Michael Wilkes' retirement announcement in July. The city council selected Susan Sherman after an extensive nationwide search. She is the first ever female and ninth city manager in Olathe’s history. “I am deeply honored to continue serving the Olathe community in this new capacity. Olathe is an extraordinary community with dedicated public servants, innovative partners, and engaged residents,” Sherman said. “I know our hardworking and passionate team’s commitment to excellence is the backbone of our success. Together, we will continue building a stronger and more vibrant [...]

The Royals have released a statement on their search for a new stadium just hours after Leawood said it could not support a stadium at Overland Park's Aspiria campus. “The Royals have a long history of working to make Greater Kansas City a better place,” a spokesperson said early Tuesday evening. “As such, we are deeply committed to building a stadium environment that prioritizes the health, safety, and traffic concerns of our neighbors. Wherever we build our next generational home, the project will be guided by strong community collaboration. We pledge to create an unsurpassed fan and community experience, one that [...]

Monday’s county commission meeting is where three of Seward’s five commissioners announced their resignations. A single resignation is fairly common, but three at once is exceedingly rare. County Administrator April Warden says that things will run “business as usual,” at least if the seats are filled by the next scheduled commission meeting on Jan. 5. Read more: KSN-TV

“If it doesn’t get passed, then we would need to look at reducing our expenditures significantly,” Director of Finance Angela Richard said. “We had about a $3 million gap between our revenues and expenditures, we would need to make up for that. That is going to mean significant service cuts, and that could be anything from reducing our level of maintenance on streets, it could mean less fire employees, less police. We’re going to have to figure that out.” Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune