News

Some neighborhoods will be seeing a bit more train traffic in the coming years. At its Tuesday meeting, the City of Newton approved a $3.7 million rail spur project. The project connects a stretch of the K&O railroad that ends at the Standridge Color Plant to the under-construction GAF Materials Facility. While the spur would be built southeast of Newton at the Kansas Logistics Park, the resulting train traffic would put into regular use a section of rail where trains are a rarity. Harvey County Now inquired with city staff, as well as Commissioner Rod Kreie on how many more trains [...]

Members of the Holton City Commission expressed agreement with Holton Community Hospital chief executive officer Carrie Lutz that a proposed quarter-percent sales tax at the county level would be a boon for the hospital in light of a reduction in revenues and reimbursements at the federal level. During the commission’s regular meeting on Monday, Lutz met with commissioners to explain the need for the quarter-percent sales tax, which will go before voters in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election, noting that at previous HCH-hosted town halls on the proposed sales tax, she had heard “a lot of speculation” on why taxpayer [...]

The Lenexa Planning Commission has approved plans for a building that, if given the final OK, will be the tallest development by far at Lenexa City Center. On Oct. 6, the city’s planning commission unanimously recommended approval of preliminary plans for The Rise, located at the southeast corner of 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard. The development is proposed to be an active adult community, with residents required to be 55 or older, according to its developer, REAL Property Group. It will include apartments, office and restaurant space, a parking structure, as well as amenities like an outdoor pool and a [...]

After two unsuccessful attempts to offer electronic scooters and bikes in the city, Overland Park could launch a new e-bike share program that officials hope will have more permanence. The prospective partnership with regional nonprofit BikeWalk KC, if approved, would be wheeled out ahead of the World Cup next summer. It would be part of RideKC’s metrowide transportation network. Unlike past pilot programs with private companies Bird and Lime that included both e-scooters and e-bikes, this new effort would only bring e-bikes to Overland Park streets. The bike share program would have upfront and annual operating costs associated with it, whereas [...]

When and where did the Civil War begin? Was it when Abraham Lincoln was elected president? When Fort Sumter was fired on by the Confederacy? A good case can be made that the political event that precipitated the Civil War took place in a rural Kansas town that would become the centerpoint of national debate. Kansas became a territory in 1854. Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act, voters of each state were to determine if slavery would be allowed in that state or not. This led to “Bleeding Kansas” because of the conflict and violence that ensued. For example, Lawrence was sacked by [...]

This year, the Kansas Department of Commerce and Evergy began talks with TerraPower, a nuclear energy company based out of Washington state, to potentially bring a reactor to the Sunflower State. TerraPower’s Natrium reactor is different from a traditional nuclear reactor like at Wolf Creek. The small modular reactor uses sodium as its primary coolant instead of water. “It’s ability is to retain the heat that comes off the reactor core for a long period of time,” State Rep. Mark Schreiber of Emporia said. “It doesn’t need to be pressurized, so that reduces the amount of the equipment that’s needed to [...]

Ground is officially broken for the first Buc-ee’s location in Kansas. A project that’s been years in the making. It promises to be a driver for commerce and tourism alike. Buc-ee’s locations have proven to be popular attractions. There are 54 of these enormous gas station locations from coast to coast. The company’s founder said this will bring business from the interstate to the cash registers, as travelers seek clean bathrooms, brisket, beef jerky and “Beaver Nuggets” too. Wyandotte County leaders on Thursday welcomed Buc-ee’s leaders, who until 2019, only had stores in Texas. “Thank you to the Buc-ee’s team for [...]

A vision decades in the making is connecting two communities through recreation, wellness, and economic growth. The Andover-Augusta Rail Trail initiative aims to turn an old rail corridor into a new multi-use path. It stretches several miles between two cities. The goal: To give people more options to bike, walk and connect safely between communities. “Go to school, you can go to restaurants, you can go to a lot of places. But that one trail will connect you to all three places,” Cody Custer, the program development manager for Bike Walk Wichita, said. The pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 400 links [...]

Tuesday is the final day to register to vote, and across Kansas, sales tax permissions are on the ballot. That is, what sales taxes can be used for. The goal, two counties say, is to reduce the burden on home and property owners. In Pawnee County, voters will decide whether or not to approve the use of sales tax funds for emergency services. County attorney Douglas McNett says it could insulate homeowners from the possibility of raising property taxes. People living in Pawnee County have been living with a 1% sales tax for over 15 years. It was originally implemented to [...]

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place today in Parsons to celebrate a new mural. It’s one that serves as both a reminder of the community’s past and a way for folks to come together. Not just to look at it. Part of the grant-funded creation features a large white area where movies will be projected. Early plans are to have showings of The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. More movies will be shown next summer through a collaboration with the Parsons Public Library. “To see something like this come to fruition. Just it’s heartwarming. It means that the city is continuing [...]