info2021-03-12T07:07:50-06:00March 11th, 2021|
The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office is starting traffic control and advising motorists to stay clear of 61st and Shawnee Heights Road after a controlled burn grew untamable. The Shawnee County Sheriff's Dispatch center confirmed there was smoke over the road. Although the red flag warning has been lifted, the Topeka Fire Department is asking for no burning in Topeka because of the danger of fire spreading. Source: KSNT News
info2021-03-12T07:08:10-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Johnson County transportation liaison Josh Powers can make public safety, economic development and convenience arguments for reliance on tolls to pay for construction of express lanes on what might be the busiest four-lane highway in Kansas. He’s talking about U.S. 69 that slices a north-to-south route through Overland Park. It routinely suffers congestion during rush hour. Overland Park officials approached the Kansas Department of Transportation about widening the highway to six lanes. New northbound and southbound lanes would be referred to as “managed” lanes, which would be a first for Kansas. Source: Shawnee Mission Post
info2021-03-12T07:08:28-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Governor Laura Kelly today announced that through the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, 14 broadband improvement projects totaling $5 million will improve access to high-speed internet for homes and businesses in 18 communities statewide. “Broadband access has been an overlooked problem in Kansas and across the country for years – but my administration knows it’s a game-changer, particularly for rural and underserved areas of our state,” Governor Kelly said. “These grants use an aggressive timeline to support urgent broadband needs that came to light during the pandemic. We’re committed to ensuring every Kansan has access to the connection they need for telehealth, [...]
info2021-03-12T07:08:41-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach, who has been in office since 2005, gave what is likely to be his last State of the City address earlier this month. Gerlach, who last month said he would not seek re-election this year, used the annual event March 3 to highlight ways the city has tried to overcome hardships created by the pandemic and stay unified in the midst of unprecedented challenges. The speech is normally given at a live, in-person event but was pre-produced this year and put online due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Gerlach’s address had a valedictory tone as the Johnson [...]
info2021-03-12T07:09:02-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Sedgwick County has opened up all of Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccination plan, now allowing people such as postal, grocery and restaurant workers to get the shot. Phase 2 was previously broken up into three part, 2A, 2B and 2C. As of Thursday, they are all combined. Click here to see if you're eligible and here to schedule an appointment online. County Manager Tom Stolz said the county has administered about 75,000 doses in the community. Source: KAKE - News
info2021-03-12T07:09:41-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Critically needed broadband will soon be available to more than a dozen Kansas communities after the first-round recipients of a state grant program were announced Thursday. The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, created in fall 2020, aims to increase broadband access across the state through a 10-year, $85 million investment. The program is operated through the office of broadband development in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy transportation program. The initial round provided $5 million in total grant awards to 14 companies in 18 communities; each company matched the state grant it received. Source: Kansas Reflector
info2021-03-12T07:10:00-06:00March 11th, 2021|
The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program is being expanded to help Kansas residents with high utility bills, according to Gov. Laura Kelly. Gov. Kelly announced Thursday that the application deadline for LIEAP assistance is being extended to May 28. Also, income requirements for the program are changing from 130 percent to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the governor’s office. For example, a household of four that makes $39,300 a year or $3,275 a month would qualify for LIEAP assistance. Source: Wyandotte Daily
info2021-03-12T07:18:49-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Topeka's city government has agreed to pay $335,000 to settle a lawsuit over an April 2016 crash in which a vehicle driven by an undocumented immigrant was hit by a Topeka police SUV, which allegedly went through a red light while responding to a call with its lights and siren on. The city paid that amount in the suit pursued by motorist Jesus Meza and his passenger and niece, Meyra Meraz Aguirre, said Molly Hadfield, the city's media relations director. Source: CJonline.com.
info2021-03-12T07:22:20-06:00March 11th, 2021|
The Garden City Commission applied for a utility low-interest loan program through the state of Kansas for assistance in financing high utility costs incurred during the extreme winter weather in February at a special meeting Wednesday. The cold weather incurred just over $10 million in additional expenses to the city’s electric utility.... Mike Muirhead, Garden City Public Utilities director, said the loan program is available to any city in Kansas that has incurred extraordinary costs due to the weather. Source: Garden City Telegram.
info2021-03-12T07:12:30-06:00March 11th, 2021|
Sedgwick’s very own flag is coming soon to a flagpole near you. Leigh Charles and Janise Enterkin were chosen as co-winners of the flag design contest from January, with part of each submission appearing in the final design. It primarily uses Charles’s idea, while also including the main element of Enterkin’s. “Mine started out a lot busier, with more things from the community,” Charles said. “But I thought, as a flag, it needed to be simplified and have bright colors.” She chose to incorporate red and black, based on Sedgwick’s school colors, and she made the triangles on either side yellow [...]
