News

Topeka police chief Chris Vallejo said a big part of his new program PACT — Police and Community Together — is working on data-driven policing that accompanies community policing in crime hot spots. 911 calls is sorted into various categories to determine severity of the situation. The severity of a call will determine which calls get addressed first. Read more: CJonline

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

McPherson County Commissioners have adopted a six-month moratorium on new data centers in the unincorporated areas of McPherson County. As initially presented by Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Kinsey, the moratorium would have been through January 1, 2028, but following an extended discussion that was reduced to about six months. Kinsey said the purpose of the moratorium would be to allow the county’s Planning Commission to study how data centers would fit into the county’s comprehensive plan and what zoning regulations changes might be required. Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Over 18 years ago, Jason Thrasher made a change from the manufacturing world into the world of local government. Thrasher became the Hesston City Clerk in 2007 after leaving AGCO. Once again, Thrasher has made a change, only this time, his move was from Clerk to City Administrator, with his official start date being Aug. 12. “I had no municipal experience when I started, and local government operates differently than the private sector,” Thrasher said. “Fortunately, I worked with a knowledgeable administrator and staff who helped me learn the ropes.” Read more: Harvey County Now

Five-year-old Layne’s pretty young to work as a crossing guard. But, then again, Layne is a large half Maine Coon cat. The City of Newton recently honored Layne in social media posts as a Crosswalk Purr-tector for his work walking kids to school on the sidewalk and crosswalk on both sides of the street. Layne roams the neighborhood around the 600 block of East Fifth and East Fourth and down to Slate Creek Elementary and Chisholm Middle schools. He has a human family consisting of Pepper Stephey, her husband Jason Leal, and children Mackenzie, Maddi, and MaciRae. Read more: Harvey County [...]

Larry Roland grew up in Kansas City, Kansas with a strong sense of wanting to help the people in his community. As he got older that sense of service only got stronger. Born in the heart of the city in 1953, he was raised with strong values, a commitment to community and a quiet leadership that would later shape nearly half a century in law enforcement. Roland, a retired law enforcement official who served with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and as Undersheriff in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, died July 27 from Parkinson’s disease, he [...]

Every-other-day watering restrictions may soon be a reality for Wichita Water customers. The Wichita City Council will consider permanent watering restrictions at its meeting Tuesday. “Overall, we’re focused on outdoor irrigation. You’d be able to water three days a week,” Public Works Director Gary Janzen said last month. “Our estimated conservation is 10-15% below normal, which could amount to as much as a billion gallons a year. That’s a real number, and that’s a big deal going forward with long term conservation.” Read more: Homepage

The 186 residents of Pawnee Rock want clean water to flow from kitchen faucets, but uranium contamination forced one city well to be taken offline and meant the western Kansas community was down to a single well. “No redundancy,” said Katie Miller, director of water resources with Kansas Municipal Utilities, an association working on behalf of more than 200 communities. “No backup.” She told members of the Kansas Water Program Task Force on August 11 the solution in Pawnee Rock was to earmark $4.1 million for a new source of water that hopefully would be adequate in supply and quality. Uranium [...]

The Fort Scott City Commission is expected to vote Tuesday on one of several proposals for a sales tax ballot question to be presented to voters in November. During a town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Empress Event Center, commissioners and other city officials discussed the proposals and fielded questions from residents. Read more: Fort Scott Tribune Headlines