News

Creek Side Resort owner Aaron Dreher asked the Hays City Commission last week if city-owned land could possibly be donated to facilitate the building of affordable housing. Before making his request during the Citizen Comments of the Aug. 28th Commission meeting, Mr. Dreher drew laughs by identifying himself as “the maintenance guy at the trailer park and aspiring Chick-Fil-A owner.” He opened his comments by noting that there has been talk throughout the community that building $150,000 houses in Hays is not possible. Read more: Hays Daily News

Wichita is considering increasing fines — and adding more investigative tools — to crack down on illegal dumping. On Tuesday, the council will consider several items to increase enforcement of the illegal dumping ordinance, including using police surveillance technology to find offenders. That includes Flock cameras and closed-circuit television. Five cameras will also be installed in dumping hot spots across the city to catch offenders. Read more: Wichita Eagle

In late July, the Prairie Village City Council adopted new ordinances around the use of e-bikes and e-scooters. The new rules state that e-bike or e-scooter operators must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing or overtaking them. Riders also can’t operate their bike or scooter while distracted and must not ride in a “reckless, careless or negligent manner.” Read more: KC Star

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

On the streets and in the courts over roughly the past year, Derby Police having been seeing growing issues with one particular drug — THC. In the last 365 days, Derby Police Chief Brandon Russell reported 49 THC vapes or vape cartridges were recovered during traffic stops, along with two packages of edibles — and 89 THC vapes were confiscated at Derby schools. There were also 10 drug-related driving under the influence arrests (out of 66 total) from July 31, 2024, to July 31, 2025, including two overdoses from THC products. With the amount of THC products seen on the streets [...]

Winfield City Commissioners approved a ban on mini-bikes, and approved the city’s budget and property collection for 2026, during their Tuesday meeting. This ban was requested by Winfield Police Chief Robbie DeLong due to safety hazards caused by mini-bikes and similar vehicles on public streets, according to the request for commission action. These vehicles should only be ridden on private property because they do not meet safety or EPA standards, and do not have a vehicle identification number. Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com - RSS Results

The Marmaton Market, Moran’s grocery store, is closed “until further notice.” Store manager Marilyn Logan declined to comment further Wednesday. The market, which was purchased by the Marmaton Market Cooperative in 2018, has struggled to stay afloat financially, to the point Logan warned in 2021 it would close without greater local support. Several grants, including a $140,000 USDA grant that paid for construction of a commercial-grade kitchen, have helped keep the store afloat. Read more: The Iola Register

You turn on the faucet, water comes out. What you don’t use runs down the drain and disappears. It feels simple, but every drop of water, whether coming in or going out, depends on a vast and complex system that keeps it safe for humans and the environment. It might seem invisible, but hundreds of public servants and billions of dollars in infrastructure work every day to: treat and transport water to your home; manage and dispose of your wastewater (sewage); direct stormwater away from neighborhoods, and preserve and restore natural streamways. Read more: Johnson County Post

After waiting for months for the federal government to deliver promised funds, Overland Park is finally moving ahead with a traffic calming and safety plan. Last year, Overland Park was promised $500,000 to complete a traffic Safety Action Plan using the Safe Streets For All (SS4A) grant program. That’s a five-year, billion-dollar program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed during the Biden presidency, designed to cut down on serious injuries and deaths in traffic crashes. Earlier this year, the money — delivered through the Federal Highway Administration — for the project was tied up amid federal grant process freezes, effectively [...]

More residents may soon become eligible for Overland Park’s property tax rebate pilot program this year. With roughly $110,000 left in the pot set aside for city property tax rebates this year, the city is looking at expanding the eligibility criteria to include more household income levels in the program. Currently, only extremely low and very low income households — defined under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s guidelines for the Kansas City metro area — are eligible for the rebate. However, the city could expand that to include low-income households as well. Read more: Johnson County Post