News

Pawnee County officials finally get some answers for energy transmission corridor

2024-08-23T10:38:13-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

Community leaders in Pawnee County spoke with a leadership team from the Federal Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday morning to learn more about a proposed energy transmission corridor. ... The main issue is a proposed five-mile wide corridor known as the "Midwest-Plains" corridor that would go through much of Kansas. Source: KSN-TV

Municipal Bond Trends for August 22, 2024

2024-08-23T10:10:52-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

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.

This honeysuckle isn’t so sweet: Efforts are ongoing to save forest in an Olathe park

2024-08-23T09:50:37-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

Johnson County Park & Recreation District has been fighting to restore plant diversity to Ernie Miller Park after shrub honeysuckle and other invasive plants like garlic mustard caused significant damage. For the the last five years, there’s been a strong effort to boot the shrub honeysuckle from the whole 116 acres of Ernie Miller. This is just the halfway mark for the plan. The invasive shrub had taken over the understory, or the underlying layer of vegetation, in the wooded park, said Matt Garrett, natural resource manager for Johnson County Park & Recreation District. “The shrub honeysuckle basically broke down an [...]

Fed Chair Powell indicates interest rate cuts ahead: ‘The time has come for policy to adjust’

2024-08-23T09:47:48-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell laid the groundwork Friday for interest rate cuts ahead, though he declined to provide exact indications on timing or extent. “The time has come for policy to adjust,” the central bank leader said in his much-awaited keynote address at the Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.” “Inflation has declined significantly. The labor market is no longer overheated, and conditions are now less tight than those that prevailed before [...]

Crew clearing way for Topeka’s viaduct project digs up cistern

2024-08-23T09:18:56-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

A Topeka Fire Department cistern built in 1878 was uncovered Tuesday by workers doing excavation for an underground water line project linked to the replacement of downtown Topeka’s Polk-Quincy Viaduct. ... Topeka Fire Marshal Alan Stahl said he found an online Topeka Daily Commonwealth article dated June 28, 1878, telling of how construction was progressing rapidly on that cistern, which was intended to have a capacity of “1,000 barrels.” Source: CJonline

Unhoused and unseen: homelessness in Hiawatha, Brown County and beyond

2024-08-23T09:09:26-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

There is a group of people often not addressed in Hiawatha, Brown County and beyond. This group is unhoused and often unseen. Even those who are moving from house to house are also among the unhoused population. Kanza Director Jackie Feathers and Support Housing Team Lead Savannah Gibson provide support for those who are unhoused. They both gave an overview of the challenges that the homeless in Hiawatha and the rest of Brown County face and what is being done to address the issue. Source: hiawathaworldonline.com

Report maps path for water resilience in western Kansas

2024-08-23T09:09:13-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

Though water conservation has been an increasing priority for the Kansas agriculture sector, it has also been somewhat fragmented in its approach. The framework presented Tuesday at K-State is a novel approach at bringing stakeholders from each part of the value chain into its efforts. Source: CJonline

What tuberculosis outbreak in Wyandotte County means for the rest of Kansas

2024-08-23T09:07:53-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Thursday confirmed a tuberculosis outbreak in Wyandotte County, with more cases than the entire state recorded last year. ... Overall, 75 people statewide have been treated this year for the lung disease and two people have died. Officials say the disease requires consistent contact to spread. “There is a very low risk of infection to the general public in these communities,” KDHE communications director Jill Bronaugh told the Kansas News Service in an email. Source: CJonline

Johnson County, reStart meet with residents on homeless shelter plans

2024-08-23T09:07:34-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

Johnson County residents packed a meeting in Olathe Wednesday night to find out more about plans for converting a hotel in a busy shopping area into a homeless shelter. However, the $10.5 million plan for the LaQuinta Inn off I-35 on 95th Street still faces an uphill battle. At last count in January Johnson County had 250 people who were homeless, 58 without shelter. The county has an agreement to buy LaQuinta Inn and renovate it into a 50-bed shelter for single adults living in their own rooms. “We have a real chance to address this now when it’s manageable and [...]

Many warnings, but no citations, for violating Wichita water restrictions, city says

2024-08-23T09:00:09-05:00August 23rd, 2024|

The city of Wichita has issued 165 warnings — but no citations — for violations of the city’s drought water-use restrictions. “Ideally, we won’t have to issue a single fine,” Gary Janzen, director of public works and utilities, said. “We don’t want this to be punitive. What’s more important is coming together collaboratively. . . . We really want to focus on education over enforcement.” The city has had Stage 2 drought restrictions — which limits outdoor watering to one day a week in each quadrant of Wichita — in place for two and a half weeks. Water levels at Cheney [...]

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