Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow firework sales year-round, a move that could help small businesses and the state's coffers collect more revenue. ... Kyle Hamilton, an assistant revisor of statutes, said current law authorizes the State Fire Marshal to designate the annual firework season through rules and regulations. The existing season is June 27 and ends July 5. The bill "would override that current regulation," Hamilton said. "The new language would define firework season for seasonal retailers as June 15 through July 6, and for annual retailers as Jan. 1 through Dec. 31." ... The bill also [...]

Most people would do anything to avoid a crisis. Officer Trevor Nobbs runs toward them. Nobbs, 28, serves as the Hutchinson Police Department’s representative on a Crisis Response Team, responding to calls when officers believe a person is suffering from a mental health crisis. He works with Shanon Brandon of Mirror Inc., and Rebeca Sandoval, a private clinical social worker. While it has only been in operation for nine months, the team has had a measurable impact in Hutchinson and on the department, said Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper, who presented a report on the team’s first nine months of operation [...]

After snow fell across much of the country this week, people were able to see if roads in Saline County were cleared by county crews before they ventured outdoors. In October of 2021, Saline County Road and Bridge installed technology that tracks the location of its snow-removal fleet. With the new technology comes the use of SnowPaths, a fleet-tracking tool that can be useful for residents hoping to know what the status of roads may be. “It allows for the citizens to see where our snowplows and motor graders have been during snow-removal events,” said Darren Fishel, the county road and [...]

Presenters at an Economic Outlook Conference in Hutchinson Wednesday described as “bullish” and “optimistic” the short-term outlook for Reno County and the region, thanks in part to nearly full employment and pent-up demand. While there are no quick fixes to many of the challenges that local businesses and the community seem to perpetually deal with in attracting or expanding businesses – including housing and childcare – the community continues working to figure out how to handle with them. But finding workers -- one of the problems most oft-cited by local employers and which recently has become acute -- is something business [...]

One of Salina's largest industries is expanding. Along with bringing more jobs to central Kansas, this expansion will have a ripple effect throughout the Sunflower State. Schwan's Company buys flour from Kansas mills, sausage from Tyson in Hutchinson and packaging supplies from a vendor in the Kansas City, Kansas area. By increasing the company's footprint in Salina, they are increasing goods that they already buy from vendors in Kansas. The pizza's coming out of the Salina plant, Tony's and Red Barron, are ranked second in the U.S. frozen-pizza market and first for school pizza. Source: Salina Journal

The Kansas Supreme Court will rule whether the state's "stand-your-ground" law protects a fired Wichita police officer who claimed self-defense immunity after shooting a girl when aiming for a dog. The ruling is likely to have wide ramifications, both for potential prosecutions in police use-of-force cases and for any situation where a shooter can claim they feared for their safety. Lower court rulings in favor of the officer have already been used as reasons not to charge other law enforcement officers in use-of-force cases. Source: CJonline