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County Commissioners began discussions to restructure those departments within the county that the commission is over. They also ordered a safety study for the Elm Creek Lake Dam. Commissioner Mika Milburn talked about the need for an interim reference addendum to the county’s 2002 policy book as the commission revisits and revises it. She suggested assigning reference numbers to the forms and procedures as they make or revise them for easy reference during revision and in the final product. County Clerk Susan Walker has started adding reference numbers to forms as they are being amended. She has also requested an administrative [...]

It tore through the landscape, buildings and people like a fire does through a forest. But it wasn’t a fire. It was a different kind of gift from Mother Nature—an F5 (now called an EF5) tornado, and it caused damage and fatalities in Harvey, Sedgwick and Marion counties on May 25, 1917. It was part of one of the most intense and longest continuous tornado outbreak sequences on record, said Kris Schmucker, curator and archivist with the Harvey County Historical Museum and Archives in Newton. The outbreak killed at least 382 people, Schmucker said. Source: Harvey County Now

Johnson County voters will decide this November whether the special public safety sales tax that paid for the new courthouse and medical examiner facility should be continued for another 10 years. County commissioners voted Thursday to put the Public Safety III quarter-cent tax on the ballot, saying it is a way to maintain vital county services at a time when inflation and ebbing revenues are straining the budget. The sales tax was originally approved in 2016 and is set to expire in March of 2027 unless voters extend it. Source: Johnson County Post

Preserving Leawood’s original City Hall building for some unspecified future use remains on the table as the city council gets closer to finalizing a master plan for the building as well as an old fire station at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard. On Monday, the council hired Kansas City-based BBN Architects for $39,000 to come up with costs and use options for both buildings, which were constructed in the 1950s and are now largely vacant. Source: Johnson County Post

In 2018, the Hen House in Merriam abruptly closed, and the northeastern Johnson County suburb of more than 10,500 people didn’t have its own grocery. Now, city leaders and a local developer think they have a winning project plan to bring a grocery store back within Merriam city limits. Overland Park-based Drake Development is proposing a two-block redevelopment on the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road, which is currently home to the old Antioch Library building, as well as a Caribou Coffee and a gas station next door. Dubbed Merriam Grand Marketplace, the redevelopment envisions a 12,000-square-foot grocery [...]

Governor Laura Kelly and Merck Animal Health announced an $895 million expansion at Merck’s De Soto, Kansas, facility—the second-largest private investment in Kansas history and Merck Animal Health’s largest to date. The project includes $860 million for manufacturing and $35 million for R&D, creating over 200 permanent jobs. The 200,000-square-foot expansion will increase production of large molecule vaccines and biologic products, with the site serving as a Center of Excellence within Merck’s global manufacturing network. Construction planning begins immediately, generating 2,500 temporary jobs, with commercial operations expected in 2030. Since 2017, Merck has invested more than $12 billion in U.S. manufacturing [...]

Dodge City pet owners, take note: Fido and Fluffy will soon need a tiny piece of tech to stay street legal. At Monday night’s City Commission meeting, officials approved an ordinance requiring all cats and dogs registered within city limits to be microchipped. The goal? To help reunite lost pets with their owners and promote responsible pet ownership across the community. Microchipping is a simple procedure where a chip about the size of a grain of rice is inserted under a pet’s skin, typically between the shoulder blades. The chip contains the owner's contact information and can be scanned by animal [...]

A community in Rooks County is being asked to conserve water. Residents of Palco have been asked not to water lawns, gardens, or fill a swimming pool for the next two days. The city says they are doing maintenance on the town's water wells on Thursday and Friday, which requires residents to limit their water use. Palco says it will notify residents when water services are fully available. Source: KSN-TV

Cowley County commissioners approved a new ordinance Tuesday that would make public nudity a misdemeanor offense, following years of public complaints about a man frequently seen walking without clothing. The ordinance allows law enforcement to charge violators with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500. The issue stems from repeated complaints about a local man who regularly takes walks in the nude. Despite ongoing public concern, no legal action has been taken, as the county sheriff has stated that Kansas’ nudity laws do not clearly apply in this case. Source: KSN-TV

Coffey County residents vote no to the special bond vote focusing on USD 244. According to the Coffey County election website, the unofficial results are in: residents do not want special bonds to go towards a new Burlington Elementary School. According to USD 244, funding from the $45 million bond proposal would have allowed the elementary school to be built closer to the community's middle and high schools, add early learning classrooms and provide classrooms with updated technology and resources. Source: KSNT 27 News