News

A social media trend of kicking down the doors of people's homes is as destructive as it sounds. The sheriff of one western Kansas county warns that it could also be deadly. In a social post on Tuesday, the Meade County Sheriff's Office said it is investigating a series of incidents related to the "door kick challenge," a viral social media trend, that occurred over the weekend. Meade County deputies "took multiple reports of trespassing, criminal damage and disorderly conduct at residences where individuals were kicking doors of residences while filming themselves," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "Many [...]

Garden City has announced a new partnership with Western State Bank to expand opportunities for affordable housing. Garden City has been experiencing a housing crunch for several years. The city said rapid economic growth and a steady population increase have created a demand for more affordable housing in the area. While the city has been working to address the shortage, more affordable housing is needed to meet the goal of 4,000 new housing units by 2030. To help reach that goal, Garden City has partnered with Western State Bank to create the new Local Roots Loan Program. Read more: KSN-TV

Community and law-enforcement are coming together to make a safer southeast Kansas. Over the past several weeks, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office has made several appearances at local community watch group meetings. Officers speak to residents, answer their questions, and give safety tips on what to do before police arrive at a scene or during 911 calls, to mitigate dangers. Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The city and Kaw Valley State Bank — now Farmers State Bank — confidentially settled a lawsuit filed this past summer over several counterfeit checks drawn from a city account. The settlement, filed with the court days after the Eudora Times reported on the lawsuit, contains no information on the terms of the settlement. City Manager Zack Daniel confirmed the settlement but said the city was unable to comment. Farmers State Bank CEO Matt Engel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Read more: The Eudora Times

The Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center at 1715 N. Waldron St. opened for business Tuesday, Visit Hutch announced. The hotel has 112 guest rooms, an indoor pool, and a fitness center, and it will have an Old Chicago restaurant on site. As of Tuesday, Old Chicago’s website said the restaurant was “coming soon.” It also has 14,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, with a grand ballroom and five breakout rooms, designed to host events ranging from corporate conferences to weddings and community celebrations, Visit Hutch said in the announcement. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Wichita water and sewer customers can expect to see larger rate increases the next two years than originally anticipated. The increase is mostly caused by a continued climb in operations and maintenance costs, as well as the expected loss of two wholesale water customers. The city had been set to increase water rates by 6.17% next year. City Council members heard two new rate increase options at a workshop Tuesday. Read more: Wichita Eagle

A petition to repeal Salina's ban on pit bulls was presented to the city manager on Monday. If it gets enough signatures, the city commission would be required to either pass an ordinance repealing the ban or call for a special election for citizens to vote on the ordinance. Tyler Sartain and Debrah Corrales with Salinans Against Breed Specific Legislation, say the decades-long ban is ineffective and causing overflow in local animal shelters. Read more: KSN-TV

A controversy that's consuming several southeast Kansas communities is coming to a head in Crawford County. That controversy… solar farms and all that comes with them, both the good and the bad. Crawford County currently has a moratorium on solar energy projects that was put in place last year. The town of Mulberry presented an annexation resolution to Commissioners last week for residents who want to have their property incorporated into the town, escaping the county's moratorium on solar energy. Some of those residents, as well as others opposed to the annexation, spoke to commissioners today. Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Community leaders recognize that wages for many jobs in Hutchinson and Reno County lag those in regional and peer communities, some as much as 12% to 18%, said Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce CEO Debra Teufel. “It’s one of the hard realities we share with employers,” said Teufel, noting they’ve relied on data from Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research to make the point. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

One plan comes from a company that proposes putting small reactors 1 mile underground to directly power facilities such as data centers. The other comes from a company envisioning a utility-scale plant with a battery design that makes it capable of storing power. Read more: CJonline