News

After a little under a year since its launch, the first 10 City Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) homes are being built. Introduced by Kim Froman, director of Housing and Community Development, the program encourages developers to build specifically for middle- and low-income residents by offsetting construction costs. “The lack of affordable housing in Pittsburg is restricting growth and the ability to support workforce demands,” Froman told the city commission last December, saying that high material costs, delivery delays, market forces and a shortage of skilled labor are diverting resources away from rural areas. Under the program, a contractor can apply for [...]

Wyandotte County leaders voted Thursday to rename an area baseball field after fallen Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming. The board of commissioners voted 6-0 to rename Heathwood Park Baseball Field, at North 10th Street and Parallel Parkway, to “Elijah Ming Memorial Field. Ming, who was killed in the line of duty on July 26, grew up playing baseball on that field. His family and friends often spoke about his love of baseball. Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

HOA is coming out against the idea of a Kansas City Royals stadium going in at the northwest corner of 119th and Nall. In May, the Royals announced an affiliate of theirs bought the mortgage on the old Sprint campus, now known as Aspiria. Hawthorne View’s just about a mile southeast of 119th and Nall and less than a 20-minute walk from the intersection. HOA President Jeff Hurt told FOX4 he hopes city council members pay attention to how the homeowners in his area feel about this issue. Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

Treasury yields were lower on Friday as investors look for clues on the shape of the U.S. economy and the direction of monetary policy. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury fell more than 4 basis points to trade at 4.056%. Yields across the maturity curve ticked lower, with the 2-year Treasury yield also shedding more than 4 basis points to 3.516% and the longer-term 30-year Treasury's yield being down more than 3 basis points at 4.698%. Global markets are digesting Thursday's delayed non-farm payrolls report, which showed the economy added more jobs than expected in September, but the unemployment rate [...]

The future of an indoor aquatic center in Manhattan appears more uncertain in the wake of the Nov. 4 election. At the Nov. 10 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting, board member Joe Knopp said the results signaled strong concerns from voters about future spending. “I think that those are lessons we ought to be paying attention to and including them as we make future strategy decisions,” he said. Read more: News Radio KMAN

A pair of Hutchinson nonprofits are pushing forward a veterans housing project to provide transitional housing and services for veterans in need. Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

With artificial intelligence (AI) technologies becoming more integrated in public sector operations, Mulvane staff took time to draft a policy guiding responsible, ethical and secure use of AI tools among city employees — officially adopted by the Mulvane City Council at its Nov. 17 meeting. The policy includes clear definitions of AI tools, guidelines for acceptable uses (such as drafting materials, automating data tasks, etc.), procedures for data privacy, requirements for human review and approval of AI-generated content, etc. Read more: www.derbyinformer.com

Fort Scott City Commissioners on Tuesday discussed an ordinance concerning a limit on the number of dogs per household within the city. City Manager Brad Matkin said four citizens have recently brought up the topic, and several in recent years have asked about the amount of dogs permitted for a household. Matkin said he talked with the previous animal control officer and city staff had not been able to find a limit in the current ordinance. Read more: Fort Scott Tribune

The Garden City Commission approved a Master Fee Schedule ordinance and resolution at its regular meeting on Tuesday. Jared Kuhlmann, Garden City Finance Director, said city staff has been working on compiling a fee schedule for the better part of the past year, which incorporates all fees and rates charged for services provided by the Garden City. “Each department reviewed their fees compared to other cities, looked at other municipalities, looked at the last dates that these were, if there had been changes, and then had discussion on what the appropriate [fee] should be,” he said. It was a considerable project [...]

History will be in the cards for Newton next fall. With funds from a Kansas State Historical Preservation grant, the City of Newton will print a run of 2,500 playing card decks containing artwork of historic local people, places, and events. “It’s history in a different way,” said Jen Lehman, who oversees Newton’s Main Street and Convention and Visitors programs. “It makes it easily accessible to see places they don’t know about. It’s also multi-generational. The City will distribute the cards to residents at events, provide them to prospective businesses, and provide decks to the Harvey County Historical Society and Carriage [...]