Town of Sedgwick forced to deal with more flooding
For the second time in the last two weeks, many of Sedgwick's roads are under water. "The river usually comes out on the west side of town by the school," says Mayor Bryan Chapman. Past the playground at the school, you should see a practice football field. Instead, all you can see is water. Tuesday was supposed to be the last day of school for students, but classes were canceled due to the flooding. "It's fun because now I can play with my friends," says Bentley Wallace. "It's just fun, getting out. Playing in the water," says Marsholl Croxton. Fun for [...]
Officials in Crawford County and Pittsburg give update on storm damage
Crawford County and City of Pittsburg officials hosted a news conference Tuesday to address concerns following a serious storm and apparent tornado that hit the area Monday, resulting in downed trees and power lines and damage to structures. Local officials and the National Weather Service were still not able to confirm that the storm technically qualified as a tornado as of Tuesday morning. The storm came out of Cherokee County and across Crawford County before moving into Missouri, Crawford County Emergency Manager Jason VanBecelaere said, causing considerable damage near Pittsburg, particularly to roofs and outbuildings in the area of Langdon Lane [...]
NextEra wants all protest petitions tossed
County officials have again pushed back a meeting for the Reno County Commission to take up NextEra Energy’s application for a permit for its proposed Pretty Prairie Energy Center, pending resolution of a legal issue. The meeting is now tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. June 13 at the Atrium Hotel and Convention Center, with county staff hoping to solidify the meeting date by next week. The legal question delaying the meeting relates to whether protest petitions against NextEra’s requested zoning permit required the signature of a notary when submitted. If determined valid, the protest petition would force a unanimous “super majority” [...]
Seven counties with flooding added to earlier state disaster declaration
Several areas at Perry Lake have been closed because of flooding that is expected through the weekend. “Many roads have been closed,” Jason Hurley, Perry Lake park manager, said in the release. “Closed locations are marked with gates or barricades. Please do not drive around any of these barriers as they are in place for everyone’s safety and to reduce further damages to the area. The marinas and Perry State Park are currently open and we encourage visitors to contact those facilities for any changes.” The release said the Corps of Engineers will continue to monitor the flooding and assess the [...]
Lawrence city commissioners concerned by proposal to charge entry fees at recreation centers
City leaders expressed concern about charging entry fees for the city’s recreation facilities, and officials said they would have to weigh such changes against other options to balance the budget as part of the upcoming 2020 budget process. At the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department Director Derek Rogers told the commission the slower-than-anticipated sales tax growth was requiring the department to spend its reserves and that it was not on track to have a balanced budget without changes. Specifically, Rogers said that the department spent about $86,000 of its reserves in 2018 and $324,000 of its [...]
Cheney lake to open flood gates
The flood gates to Cheney Lake will soon be opened due to rising water levels caused by flooding. A news release from Sedgwick County says that starting at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the gates will be opened gradually until they are completely opened by afternoon. Even with the release, the lake is still expected to reach a record height of 1,430.5 feet. The released water will run through a 15 mile section along the north fork of the Ninnescah River until it meets the south fork. The water capacity in this channel will flow at approximately 2.8 times the normal [...]
Hutchinson City Council hears report on GreenPlay findings
The Hutchinson City Council got the report from GreenPlay regarding the parks and rec study that was performed over the past several months. GreenPlay presented its findings in a more than hour-long report to the council on Tuesday. The report talked about better utilizing the parks and making programs more available, especially in economically challenged areas. It also talked about new trends and how such things as various warrior contests and zip lines could be utilized in parks. The study was conducted after Hutch Rec received a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to pay for the work. The [...]
King of Freight gets Gander building on Arkansas River bank
The Wichita City Council has approved King of Freight’s move to WaterWalk, signaling that the city has given up on the original plans for a glitzy entertainment district there. (Read more: Local News |)
Reno County Commission again approves a disaster declaration due to flooding
With flooding widespread and more rain in the forecast, the Reno County Commission once again has approved a disaster declaration for the county. The request came from Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar. “It opens up our emergency operation plan, basically both our response and recovery operations,” he said. “It also gives law enforcement some teeth to keep people out of the river and make sure people aren’t driving around the barricades as well.” “This opens us up for both state and federal resources and, if we hit our dollar threshold which we already did on our previous disaster which is just [...]