Soon, the Harvey County Register of Deeds (ROD) will digitize historical records, including the ones in those large, bulky books. It’s something that Register of Deeds Raquel Langley says will eventually pay for itself. Langley told county commissioners Tuesday morning that the current recording system, CIC, couldn’t backload (historical) documents, so the ROD only has records digitized from 2017 onward. Read more: Harvey County Now

A rear yard or side yard; what’s the difference? 18 feet when it comes to setbacks. The Newton Planning and Zoning Commission plunged into the semantic question of yard definitions Monday in order to settle a request by Newton Bible Church, 900 Old Main Street. The church hoped to build an eastward expansion that sat within 15 feet of its property line. This would be out of compliance with city setback requirements. Read more: Harvey County Now

Images of buildings from Walton’s yesteryear will grace the outdoor mural on the Stone Building in town. The building recently was renovated into a community gathering place and fire department training location. An outdoor pavilion, complete with a stage, was added to one side of the building, as well, and the whole location was utilized on Friday night during Walton’s Sunset Festival, where the mural rendering was unveiled. Read more: Harvey County Now

Stingers, Spikes, Steam engines, Twisters, and Gators: all mascots could soon be on the chopping block. The Newton School District will consider transitioning all schools to a single mascot, The Railer. Board Member Melissa Schreiber requested Monday night that the discussion be added to the district’s Oct. 12 agenda. Read more: Harvey County Now

Overland Park voters will decide on a new 1/4-cent sales tax in March 2027 to help fund parks and recreation projects. If ultimately passed, that could raise around $176 million over 10 years, which would be used exclusively for parks projects. A 1/4-cent sales tax would apply roughly two cents to a $10 purchase. That money would go toward addressing a nearly $250 million delta identified in Playbook OP, the city’s new parks and recreation master plan, between currently anticipated spending and the full estimated cost of the new parks plan over the next decade. Read more: Johnson County Post

Overland Park could pull in millions of dollars for projects around its future city hall under the recently approved Black & Veatch redevelopment incentive deal. The entire package — one of the largest in Overland Park’s history — is tied to Black & Veatch’s billion-dollar redevelopment project that will bring housing, commercial space and more to the firm’s headquarters campus at the heart of Overland Park. Nearby, the city has also plotted out its own investments, with a new city hall planned nearby on College Boulevard. Read more: Johnson County Post

Leawood Police are crediting a dog with alerting an officer to help its owner, who was in need of medical attention at a residential home last month. Leawood PD posted edited clips of the officer’s body cam footage to social media this week, where it quickly picked up likes, shares and reactions. “Sometimes, our four-legged friends know exactly what to do,” the post began. Read more: Johnson County Post

Ten new squirrels will be joining Marysville’s Black Squirrels on Parade this October 24 at 3:00 p.m. in the 700/800 blocks of Broadway. Wayne Kruse, OneMarysville Executive Director, said adding new squirrels isn’t an extremely common occurrence. Read more: KCLY Radio

Yes. Kansas legalized self-driving vehicles for commercial and personal use in 2022. Autonomous vehicles are permitted if they comply with state and federal regulations and traffic laws and can reach a minimal safety condition, such as stopping on a road shoulder if the automated system fails. Operators must meet state licensing, registration and insurance requirements. They must also provide the Kansas Highway Patrol with safety information, including contact information for a fleet support specialist and plans for first responders in the event of a crash or fire. Read more: KLC Journal

Voting for the general election begins in one week, and for voters in Caldwell, that means deciding on a proposed 1% sales tax. The city administrator said that if the sales tax is approved, it will raise about $150,000 every year and be in effect for a decade. Read more: KSN-TV