News

Downtown Manhattan merchants are finding new ways to lure customers into their establishments. A new common consumption area was established in July, opening the opportunity for customers to freely roam a specified area with an alcoholic beverage. Jake Voegeli, co-owner of Manhattan Brewing Company, said after seven weeks in place, they’ve seen no issues. “For special events like the Third Thursdays, we set up on our patio, and we’ll serve people as they walk by,” he said. “We might get one or two people that want to walk around and finish their beer, and they just come up and they’ll grab [...]

Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed today announced that 27 local and off-system bridge projects across Kansas will receive a combined total of $40.5 million in state and federal funding as part of two local bridge improvement programs. “By funding bridge projects across our state, we are directly investing in the future of our communities,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Repairing and replacing aging bridges ensures people and commerce can move safely and efficiently throughout Kansas.” Read more: Western Kansas News

A Wichita developer who took on repurposing five downtown buildings has sued the city of Wichita over parking disputes that she claims led to the closure of the Jinya Ramen Bar last year and is impacting parking for her tenants. Through various LLCs, Sudha Tokala has filed two lawsuits over ongoing disagreements with the city on outstanding parking debt and access to city garages following construction of the Wichita Biomedical Campus kicking off in 2023. Read more: Wichita Business Journal - Local Wichita News

Visitors in Delano can walk around the neighborhood, alcoholic beverage in hand, starting Friday. Visitors can take advantage of the common consumption area Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. “Implementing common consumption isn’t just about being able to enjoy walking around Delano with a beverage,” Wichita City Council member Dalton Glasscock said. “It’s about creating a dynamic and walkable neighborhood and finding ways to draw patrons to the businesses of Delano.” Read more: Homepage

Creek Side Resort owner Aaron Dreher asked the Hays City Commission last week if city-owned land could possibly be donated to facilitate the building of affordable housing. Before making his request during the Citizen Comments of the Aug. 28th Commission meeting, Mr. Dreher drew laughs by identifying himself as “the maintenance guy at the trailer park and aspiring Chick-Fil-A owner.” He opened his comments by noting that there has been talk throughout the community that building $150,000 houses in Hays is not possible. Read more: Hays Daily News

Wichita is considering increasing fines — and adding more investigative tools — to crack down on illegal dumping. On Tuesday, the council will consider several items to increase enforcement of the illegal dumping ordinance, including using police surveillance technology to find offenders. That includes Flock cameras and closed-circuit television. Five cameras will also be installed in dumping hot spots across the city to catch offenders. Read more: Wichita Eagle

In late July, the Prairie Village City Council adopted new ordinances around the use of e-bikes and e-scooters. The new rules state that e-bike or e-scooter operators must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing or overtaking them. Riders also can’t operate their bike or scooter while distracted and must not ride in a “reckless, careless or negligent manner.” Read more: KC Star

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.

On the streets and in the courts over roughly the past year, Derby Police having been seeing growing issues with one particular drug — THC. In the last 365 days, Derby Police Chief Brandon Russell reported 49 THC vapes or vape cartridges were recovered during traffic stops, along with two packages of edibles — and 89 THC vapes were confiscated at Derby schools. There were also 10 drug-related driving under the influence arrests (out of 66 total) from July 31, 2024, to July 31, 2025, including two overdoses from THC products. With the amount of THC products seen on the streets [...]

Winfield City Commissioners approved a ban on mini-bikes, and approved the city’s budget and property collection for 2026, during their Tuesday meeting. This ban was requested by Winfield Police Chief Robbie DeLong due to safety hazards caused by mini-bikes and similar vehicles on public streets, according to the request for commission action. These vehicles should only be ridden on private property because they do not meet safety or EPA standards, and do not have a vehicle identification number. Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com - RSS Results