A project to provide housing for homeless and low-income people in Johnson County was previewed Friday with a ribbon cutting of an 1880s-era house converted to four apartments. The two-story house just east of downtown Olathe is the first of three locations of rental units developed by Metro Lutheran Ministry, a Kansas City nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty. The property at 510 E. Park Street is one of three locations that will yield a total of 16 rental units once the rental process is up and running. Another 10 units will be in a multi-family building in Overland Park, [...]

Olathe police are now able to assess some emergencies before arriving, thanks to its new Drones as First Responders program. The Olathe Police Department launched the program last month, using four remotely operated drones to gather real-time information at active calls. The Olathe City Council approved the program, which costs about $720,000 for three years, in August 2025. The city purchased the drones from a company called BRINC. Funding to pay for the drones comes from the department’s capital projects reserve fund. The drones, which are located strategically throughout Olathe to maximize coverage area, are able to get to the scene [...]

It’s an achievement that ought to be recognized: the state of Kansas has been awarded more than $200 million to chart a path to try to stabilize and remake rural health care. And if that goal can be accomplished, the initial success will pale by comparison. At a recent discussion at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas called “The Effects of Federal Health Policy on Kansas,”  panelists discussed what’s happened to get the state to the threshold of change and where the transformation process can go from here.  A large portion of that discussion focused [...]

Jackson County leaders are set to hold a meeting Thursday on a moratorium proposal tied to a major solar project. The Jackson County Planning Commission is set to talk about and possibly recommend a solar moratorium to the county’s board of commissioners during a meeting on April 9 in Holton. Members of the local community will have a chance to offer their comments and recommendations during this sessions. Read more: KSNT 27 News

City commissioners wrote their own headlines for what they wanted to see happen in Eudora 10 years from now at an extra meeting Saturday. Among the ideas were a new recreation park, waterpark, K-10 commercial center and amphitheatre. Those ideas were just one piece of an hours-long meeting where the City Commission discussed economic development in town. Commissioners discussed how to strengthen downtown, draw in outside spenders from K-10 and drive more local spending. Saturday’s work session was informational only and did not include any action taken by commissioners. They did, however, provide input for city staff that could guide future decisions. City [...]

"Ryker" has been picked as the name of Topeka's new police dog by people visiting the Topeka Police Department's Facebook page. The new canine partner of police Sgt. Joshua Miller was given that name after it received 238 votes in public balloting conducted on the TPD page, the department announced April 9. Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Topeka's city government will try to sell property it owns at 1121 SE Quincy St. — including a huge, iconic, former water tower that's about 85 years old — in its current "as is/where is" condition. The mayor and council voted 10-0 late April 7 to authorize city manager Robert Perez to engage a real estate broker to help the city try to sell that property, which is also the site of a parking lot the city maintains. The vote came after deputy city manager Braxton Copley said the water tower and an underground storage tank on the property haven't been [...]

The city of Maize is tired of being passed up by retailers for Wichita. Maize, which has seen substantial housing growth, has a lot of available land and vacant pad sites left to be developed, and is wanting a closer look from retailers and other commercial developers. The city has brought on a retail consultant to market Maize to prospective retail and restaurant brands. Some retailers have taken notice, such as Casey's, which plans to build a new store at 5345 N. Maize Road. But others, like Hawaiian Bros, chose Wichita after initially considering a pad site in Maize. Read more: [...]

Sedgwick County has a data center moratorium until mid-June as it works to create regulations for the facilities. Nearby counties are also figuring out how to contend with the centers. Read more: Wichita Eagle

The city is streamlining its zoning code to make it easier to build Portfolio Homes. Portfolio Homes are a free selection of pre-designed and pre-approved, small scale home building plans the city is offering at no cost to a resident or developer. Read more: KC Star