info2024-06-26T10:38:19-05:00June 26th, 2024|
With current childcare regulations, a person wanting to run a facility from their house must get permission from the city in many areas. ... The commissioners said they would like to look into changing the zoning requirements in the future so childcare facilities can open in the heart of the city without opening the property up to other businesses if the current owner were to move. Source: Harvey County Now
info2024-06-26T09:52:08-05:00June 26th, 2024|
Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Tuesday the time is not right yet to start lowering interest rates, adding she would be open to raising if inflation doesn't pull back. "Should the incoming data indicate that inflation is moving sustainably toward our 2 percent goal, it will eventually become appropriate to gradually lower the federal funds rate to prevent monetary policy from becoming overly restrictive," Bowman said in prepared remarks for a speech in London. "However, we are still not yet at the point where it is appropriate to lower the policy rate." Those comments reflect a prevailing sentiment at the [...]
info2024-06-26T09:50:32-05:00June 26th, 2024|
An emergency shelter is now open in Cowley County, and it has already housed its first temporary residents. The shelter has been in the works for years but now has the opportunity to change lives. In Cowley County, resources for housing are slim. The Cowley House of Hope shelter is meant to fill those gaps. The shelter’s been in the works since 2017 when thousands of dollars had to be raised to make it a reality. The shelter is built similarly to a duplex. It sleeps five people and has two rooms with several beds in each. Each room also has a small kitchen [...]
info2024-06-26T09:46:59-05:00June 26th, 2024|
Fire crews have been fighting a blaze at Evergreen Recycle in Park City for more than two days. During a similar fire in 2022, investigators said part of the challenge was that the owner wasn’t following fire code with the wood piles, and it took nine days to put out. "It's a challenge. I don't know that it's a strain. We've got maybe 40% of our resources out here right now," said Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp. "In 2022 when we were here, we put about 1,500,000 gallons of water on it." In October of 2022, crews rushed to a [...]
info2024-06-26T09:44:40-05:00June 26th, 2024|
The city of Pittsburg approved a tax incentive for a new retail development featuring three major stores. The plan includes adding Ulta, Rack Room, and Five Below to the city’s shopping options, aiming to retain local shoppers and provide more variety. The agreement with a group representing the Pittsburg Town Center Shopping Complex redistributes the 1.5% local sales tax collected by three new retailers. 2/3 of it will go to the city. The other 1/3 will go to the developer to recoup construction costs, with a cap of $600,000 or 20 years of collections, whichever comes first. Officials expressed interest in [...]
info2024-06-26T09:40:38-05:00June 26th, 2024|
Troubled by what they see as a perceived pattern that favors wealthier neighborhoods, some Shawnee Mission school board members have begun to discuss how the district should handle private donations, bequests and gifts. A three-member task force of board members Jessica Hembree, Jamie Borgman and David Westbrook met for the first time on the topic last week. Their aim is to better understand the existing policies on donations and find a way to clarify the district’s position on how that money should be spent. Almost every Shawnee Mission school board meeting includes at least one vote on whether to accept private donations [...]
info2024-06-26T09:32:43-05:00June 26th, 2024|
AGCO has announced that around 6% of its workforce will be laid off due to "weakened demand in the agriculture industry." It is not known exactly how many employees will be affected at their Hesston production facility, or the timing as to when the layoffs will take effect. In a statement, the company says the layoffs are not related to a shift in production to Mexico that was announced earlier this month. AGCO says that the Hesston facility will continue to manufacture Massey Ferguson windrowers, large square balers, combines and combine headers. The company has invested more than $28 million into [...]
info2024-06-26T09:29:56-05:00June 26th, 2024|
The city of Pittsburg approved the purchase of two garbage trucks for a total of $489,996 to help operate a public trash service. They also approved the purchase of 500 96-gallon poly carts, 50 2-yard dumpsters, and 50 4-yard dumpsters for a total of $97,108. The city is investing in a publicly operated trash service in the wake of issues residents have been having with CARDS Recycling and Waste Management. Officials say the public service will be another option for residents. KOAM will continue following the progress and updates for residents concerning the City's planned trash service. Source: KOAM News
info2024-06-26T09:28:38-05:00June 26th, 2024|
First responders like firefighters are known to be in dangerous jobs. But OSHA, the federal agency that set and enforces standards for workplace conditions is hoping to help make those work environments as safe as possible. According to OSHA, the "existing safety and health standards do not adequately protect the emergency response workforce from these hazards." The federal agency has proposed a set of new regulations that would replace the current fire brigade standard implemented in 1980. “From what I can gather from OSHA is they're wanting to combine a whole bunch of, like, 22 guidelines into one mandate. Mandate is [...]
info2024-06-26T09:25:54-05:00June 26th, 2024|
AGCO states they are reducing their salaried workforce by about 6% due to weakening demand in the agriculture industry. The company is not saying what locations are being affected. AGCO is estimating that they will spend $150 million to $200 million, which includes severance payments and employee benefits. They expect that amount to be spent this year and in the first half of 2025. The company said the decision to reduce its workforce is not related to the shift in production to Mexico, which was announced earlier in June. "Hesston will continue to manufacture Massey Ferguson windrowers, large square balers, combines and combine headers [...]
