News

Ozone season begins Sunday through Oct. 31. Wichita officials say that while they track air quality year-round, they’ll be on heightened alert during this time. Ground-level ozone is an invisible pollutant that can negatively impact public health, the environment and local economy. Warmer temperatures, regional crop burning, and regular activities such as mowing and driving can contribute to higher ozone levels. To combat this, the city is launching its 2026 Lawn Care Rebate Program. The program aims to encourage residents to switch to electric lawn equipment, thus reducing emissions and improving air quality. Read more: KSN-TV

People who live in Spring Hill are pushing back against a rezoning plan that they say opens the door to a possible data center and to a change in their way of life. Neighbors are concerned about noise pollution, traffic, property values and proximity to a nearby school. Along 191st Street in Spring Hill, neighbors posted signs in their yards that say, “No industrial zoning.” “This is my property and this is where they want to put the data center,” Erin Lustig said. “This is just not what we moved out here for. We moved out here to get away from [...]

Morris County voters on March 3 rejected an over $30 million bond vote that would have gone towards USD 417 improvements. Voters in USD 417 participated in a school bond election on Friday to confirm or deny a $31.5 million bond that would have gone towards facility updates including security upgrades, new parking and classroom modernization efforts across three schools in the district. Vote totals for the school bond election show the bond was not approved with 70% voting no and nearly 30% voting yes. Read more: KSNT 27 News

Neighbors on opposite sides of the street and opposite sides of the issue are made their voices heard Tuesday as they voted on the Lansing Unified School District 469 bond issue aimed at addressing aging infrastructure. The voters said no to both school bond issues on the ballot. Question 1 went down to defeat with 1,579 no votes and 1,095 yes votes. Approval of the bonds would have meant $30 million toward improvements, including HVAC systems, roofs, parking lots and tennis courts, with no mill levy increase. Question 2 also failed at the polls with 1,779 no votes and only 890 [...]

Voters in the Olathe and De Soto school districts approved hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds to improve school facilities and other services, according to mail ballot results released Tuesday. In Olathe, 23% of voters took part in the election. There were 15,344 "yes" votes and 8,960 "no" votes for the $389 million bond measure. "We are incredibly thankful to our Olathe Public Schools community who has once again supported our district through the endorsement of a bond election,” Olathe Superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager said in a statement. “This bond provides us the opportunity to reinvest in our facilities, build [...]

The $17.85 million Wellington School Bond issue fell to defeat. It was 920 no to 894 yes. It was a 26-vote difference, with percentages of 50.8 to 49.2. Interestingly, there was a split between the advanced voting and the election-day vote. The yes votes were 712 to 677 no. The election was much closer this time around than the $22.6 million bond in November. That election was No – 1,080 (53.7 percent), Yes – 931 (46.2 percent). The voter turnout was lower the second time around with 1,814 voters cast today compared to 2,021 in November. Read more: Sumner NewsCow

Hutchinson voters approved a 10-year, 0.75% city sales tax increase on Tuesday by an unofficial final vote of 2,316 to 2,116, pending provisional ballots and advance ballots that were turned in at polling places. The tax will raise the total sales tax in Hutchinson to 9% for non-food purchases, divided between the State of Kansas (6.5%), Reno County (1%), and the City of Hutchinson (1.5%), effective Oct. 1, 2026. The state’s portion of sales tax is not charged on qualifying food purchases. The sales tax is to pay for stormwater system modifications, maintenance and repairs of parks and streets, capital improvements [...]

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recognized the Ellis County Fire Department (ECFD) with its Golden Helmet distinction. The ECFD was the first volunteer fire department in the state to achieve the NIOSH designation for participation in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. “This honor places the ECFD as the 100th leading fire department in the nation dedicated to understanding and eliminating one of the greatest health threats in the fire service today—cancer,” said Ellis County Fire & Emergency Management [...]

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.

For small towns, these projects could be a source of economic growth, something rural Kansas counties have been searching for. But, skepticism has also grown alongside wind and solar, and that is putting some of the potential growth on hold. It’s not just the wind and solar farms growing, it’s also the country’s demand for energy. Read more: CJonline