info2018-07-12T14:17:44-05:00July 12th, 2018|
County firefighters will benefit from $77,154.92 soon to be distributed by Kansas Insurance Department. The money is designated for firefighter relief funds, used to purchase accident, health, disability, and life insurance for firefighters in the event of injury or death in the line of duty. The Kansas State Firefighters Association will give area departments the following amounts: (Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)
info2018-07-12T14:13:43-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Battle lines as being drawn as county commissioners begin to debate whether to use a one-time reassessment windfall to cut taxes or increase spending. At stake appears to be what to do with a consultant’s report preliminarily concluding that county employees are underpaid an average of four percent. Assessed value of property in the county is expected to increase by close to $8.2 million this year. If it weren’t for a state-imposed tax lid, the same property tax rate would generate considerably more revenue. Because of the lid, however, the county will have to cut its general fund tax rate by [...]
info2018-07-12T14:05:48-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Barth Hague is losing hope. He is starting to believe that a decades long effort to preserve the Southwest Chief has been in vain, and that the death of the long distance train from Chicago to Los Angeles with a daily stop in Newton is just around the corner. “I canceled a reservation I had because it appears I am not going to be able to use the train” Hague said. He said friends and acquaintances have been asking him if they should do the same in the wake of an announcement this month that Amtrak plans to stub the train [...]
info2018-07-12T13:59:41-05:00July 12th, 2018|
No need to wonder for whom the courthouse bell tolls. As of now, it tolls for no one. At 11 a.m. Sunday, the clock chime seemingly performed its swan song when it rang continuously for 20 minutes before falling silent. County clerk Tina Spencer was working in her office at the time. “There was really no way to stop it,” Spencer said. She called an employee who winds the clock weekly, and he inspected the clock Monday. “The part of the mechanism that controls the chiming broke over the weekend,” Spencer said. “The clock should still keep time, but the chime [...]
info2018-07-12T13:56:06-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Faith Lutheran Church in Prairie Village is being razed to make way for a new 3-acre park, North Park, which the city hopes will open to the public in 2019. The city purchased the property for $1.1 million from the church last year. (Read more: KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime |)
info2018-07-12T13:47:01-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Miami County commissioners recently agreed with members of the Miami County Planning Commission when they voted unanimously to deny a requested conditional-use permit for Concrete Strategies, which is located on Cedar Niles Road south of 231st Street and north of Hillsdale Lake. The issue has bounced back and forth between the Planning Commission and County Commission as the business owner worked to modify the permit request, hoping that the changes would appease surrounding property owners. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the requested CUP following a public hearing March 6. A group of neighbors raised concerns about noise, lights, dust, [...]
info2018-07-12T13:44:50-05:00July 12th, 2018|
In a special election Tuesday in the city of Kiowa, voters resoundingly told their city leaders they favor term limits. Earlier this year, the Kiowas City Council voted to lift term limits first adopted in the 1970s. A petition forced a special election and a “no” vote Tuesday was against the charter ordinance ending term limits. The unofficial tally was 157 voting no and 38 voting yes, according to the Barber County Clerk’s office. There is one provisional ballot. Canvassing of election returns will take place Monday. Councilmembers and the mayor have been limited to two consecutive four-year terms. City Administrator [...]
info2018-07-12T13:42:02-05:00July 12th, 2018|
When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth County commissioners approved a resolution to place a question concerning the expansion of the commission on the ballot for the November election. But before the vote, Commissioner Doug Smith questioned comments made to the newspaper by a member of a group supporting the expansion. A group known as Give Me Five collected signatures to have the question added to the November ballot. The question will ask voters if they approve of expanding the County Commission from three commissioners to five. County Clerk Janet Klasinski said the group had to collect at least 2,153 signatures of Leavenworth [...]
info2018-07-12T13:05:19-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Penny Postoak Ferguson, who has been serving in the role on an interim basis the past six month, was today appointed Johnson County’s new county manager. Postoak Ferguson is a veteran of county government, having started as an assistant county manager overseeing human services here in 2010. In 2012 she was promoted to deputy county manager. She became interim county manager in January following the board of county commissioner’s move not to renew the contract of Hannes Zacharias late last year. Read more: Shawnee Mission Post.
info2018-07-12T13:01:31-05:00July 12th, 2018|
Wichita Transit is conducting a connecting communities study evaluating the demand and support for connected transit service to Andover, Derby, Haysville and Maize. "It's not just about connecting people into Wichita, it's about connecting people to where they want to go," said Wichita Transit Associate Planner Philip Zevenbergen. The city created a comprehensive market analysis in May of 2018. In June, transit employees hosted several community meetings and stakeholder discussions to get an idea of what kind of transportation would be wanted and what would be feasible. On Wednesday, Wichita Transit hosted a transit alternative community meeting in Maize showcasing the [...]
