A large grass fire in north-central Kansas caused an evacuation order to be issued on Thursday. Saline County said on Facebook that the notice affects residents within two miles of Hohneck and Watkins roads. A fire that started on the south side of I-70 between Muir and Headville Road crossed the interstate and was burning north toward Culver, prompting the evacuation. "If you are in this area LEAVE NOW and AVOID THE AREA," the county said.  The evacuation order was rescinded around 3:30 p.m. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, fires are moving north of Interstate 70 west of U.S. 81. [...]

An increase in overdose deaths has resulted in the Sedgwick County Health Department working with the City of Wichita on wastewater surveillance. Everything you can imagine comes through this Wichita wastewater plant but the city and county are hoping to identify five high-risk drugs. "From here on in, we'll be able to begin analyzing that data to show where there might be where there are spikes in the community," said Sedgwick County Health Director Adrienne Byrne. Through wastewater surveillance, the city hopes to track cocaine, methamphetamines, nicotine, fentanyl and xylazine. Byrne said these samples from the wastewater are sent to the [...]

For the third year, the City of Wichita has allocated funds to provide rebates for the replacement of lawn care devices for new, non-combustion equipment. In a news release on Thursday, the city said up to $100 rebates are available for residents of Wichita and surrounding counties who purchase new non-combustion lawn equipment and recycle their old combustion equipment. Up to a $30 rebate is available for mulch blades, no recycling required. "Clean air is an important part of staying healthy," the city said in a release. "Gas- and diesel-powered lawn equipment produces emissions that impact our air quality. A typical [...]