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Gove County District Court Finds GMD 4 LEMA Constitutional

info2019-10-16T20:52:58-05:00October 16th, 2019|

A district court in western Kansas has ruled that the chief engineer of the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources acted properly in approving a water management tool proposed by the Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4 (GMD 4) to aid in local conservation efforts to extend the life of the Ogallala Aquifer. On October 15, 2019, the Gove County District Court upheld the adoption of a Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) in much of the district. The case, Friesen v. Barfield, was filed under the Kansas Judicial Review Act after two public hearings were held by Chief [...]

Sedgwick County gives additional $2.6 million for jail to address uptick in violent offenders

info2019-10-16T20:52:13-05:00October 16th, 2019|

Violent crime in the past couple of years has overloaded the Sedgwick County Jail and put the inmate population at its highest in a decade. To help remedy the problem, Sedgwick County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a $2.6 million injection into the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office budget to sustain the jail through 2019. Sheriff Jeff Easter said the department has been paying to keep roughly 200 inmates out of county at any given time. He said the renovations at the jail, expected to be completed March 2020, would add 63 beds. Easter said 70% of inmates have an addiction problem, with [...]

Statistics no way to ‘rate’ city’s police departments

info2019-10-16T20:51:30-05:00October 16th, 2019|

Sexual battery and many other intimidation crimes are not listed in Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s annual crime index — an omission that law enforcement in Marion County say makes it difficult to get an accurate picture of crime in their towns. “There are certain things I wish were in there that aren’t,” said Hillsboro police chief Dan Kinning. “I wish things like simple battery and that showed up, especially if they’re domestic violence.” KBI issues a separate report for sexual battery and other crimes not listed in its annual index — but the report only includes statistics for the entire state, [...]

Garden City mayor, manager reflect on past year

info2019-10-16T20:50:22-05:00October 16th, 2019|

Garden City Mayor Dan Fankhauser and City Manager Matt Allen spoke before Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday morning, reflecting on the city’s recent accomplishments and plans for the future. Fankhauser reviewed the past year in and around Garden City, from the fire that damaged the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Holcomb and city staff’s preparations ahead of the 2020 census. Two longtime city staff members retired from the city this year ... (Read more: News - The Garden City Telegram)

Commissioners consider bike path agreement

info2019-10-16T19:14:56-05:00October 16th, 2019|

The Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners was expected to approve the Hike and Bike path between Mulvane and Derby at its Wednesday meeting, which came after press time Monday. The agreement requires the county to provide about $57,000 for the pathway, which represents a third of the local funding. The bulk of funding was covered by federal dollars through the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO). The project has been bid out to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). (Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

Derby historical landmarks make their debut

info2019-10-16T19:12:42-05:00October 16th, 2019|

An official ribbon cutting on Wednesday in front of the Derby Historical Museum marked the unveiling of seven historical landmark displays in Derby. The landmarks are a part of the 150-year sesquicentennial celebration going on this year. The landmarks are displayed on or near areas in Derby that have historic meaning to the community and commemorate Derby’s origin as a farming town that valued family and faith. One landmark in Garrett Park tells the story of Alexander and Margaret Garrett, Derby’s first settlers. Most all of the landmarks, including the Garrett marker, use photos, text and locator maps to tell the [...]

City of Hays hires new assistant city manager

info2019-10-16T19:07:13-05:00October 16th, 2019|

Collin Bielser has been appointed as the new assistant city manager for the City of Hays, City Manager Toby Dougherty announced in a news release Wednesday. Bielser was selected for the position out of 100 candidates after a lengthy and extensive national search. He will assume his duties Jan. 6. Bielser comes to the City of Hays from Fairbury, Neb., where he has served as the city administrator since July 2015. Prior to Fairbury, Bielser worked for the City of Baldwin City and the City of Eudora. He is a native Kansan, growing up in Colby. Bielser graduated from the University [...]

Extreme floods unearth ancient bear skull in south-central Kansas

info2019-10-16T19:06:23-05:00October 16th, 2019|

A mid-August kayak trip down the Arkansas River in south-central Kansas took a fascinating turn for sisters Ashley and Erin Watt when they happened upon a massive skull protruding from a sandbar. It was partially buried nose down, but they immediately knew the shape was unique. When they pulled it from the sand and saw the large teeth of a carnivore, they knew they had something special. With a little research, Ashley and Erin determined they had likely found a bear skull. They shared their exciting discovery in a Facebook post, which caught the eyes of local Kansas Department of Wildlife, [...]

Smith-Hanes: Saline County was ‘right opportunity at the right time’

info2019-10-17T08:21:25-05:00October 16th, 2019|

After serving as the Ellis County administrator for more than three years and helping to guide the county through several major projects, Phillip Smith-Hanes has been named the Saline County administrator. Smith-Hanes, who was hired in December 2015 and began working in Ellis County in March 2016, said Tuesday he is excited for the opportunity. “It’s a larger community closer to where I grew up, but I’m sad to be leaving Ellis County,” said Smith-Hanes, who grew up in Marion County. “Ellis County’s been very good to me. “I wasn’t out there looking for a new job,” he added. “This is [...]

City of Hugoton receives Centennial Award from KMEA and Gary Rowden is awarded Distinguished Service Award

info2019-10-16T19:03:43-05:00October 16th, 2019|

The City of Hugoton was recognized for 100 years of providing a quality electric service to their community. The City was presented with the Centennial Award from the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency at their annual awards banquet October 3, 2019 in Wichita. The Centennial Award is given out each year to honor Community Visionaries who founded the City’s Electric Utility. Kansas Municipal Energy Agency is a member driven joint action agency with the mission of providing municipal utilities reliable and economical energy to serve their communities. Hugoton was represented by Gary Rowden, Electric System Supervisor who accepted the award. The City [...]