News

A recent incident in Prairie Village in which an infant was left in critical condition after being bitten by a pit bull has once again put the city’s breed-specific rules for dogs in the spotlight. Five years ago, after an emotionally fraught public discussion, the Prairie Village City Council opted to lift the city’s ban on pit bulls. Other Johnson County communities have also made this move in recent years. What has been the impact? Drawing firm conclusions is hard because dog bite incidents remain relatively rare in Prairie Village. Serious incidents like the one earlier this month that left the [...]

Lenexa will see its sales tax live for another 20 years after voters approved its continuance during the April 1 election. According to unofficial election results, 8,691 Lenexa residents approved the tax’s continuance, while 2,257 voted no — representing just 24% of the city’s registered voters. The measure needed a simple majority vote to pass. Lenexa’s three-eighths cent sales tax is a 20-year tax that takes three-eighths of one percent of purchases (38 cents in a $100 purchase) within the city limits. The funding goes toward road and sidewalk improvements, storm water facilities, street lighting, and the development and maintenance of [...]

The Gardner Edgerton School District will see several district-wide upgrades after voters passed its school bond — with 2,236 people voting in support and 1,581 people voting against the bond, according to unofficial election results. A little over 3,000 residents within the district’s boundaries cast their ballot for the April 1 election, representing just over 19% of the district’s registered voters. With voter approval, the $100 million bond will help fund construction of a new elementary school, convert Sunflower Elementary into an early childhood learning center for students with special needs, construct a new district office, upgrade security features across campuses, [...]

Westwood residents voted by a slim majority to reject the sale of a city park as part of a controversial commercial development project, a win for a group of citizens who had pushed for voters to have a say in the park’s fate through a petition and a months-long legal battle. According to unofficial election results, 441 people voted against the sale, while 394 people voted in favor of the change. Of Westwood’s 1,432 registered voters, 837 people turned out during this special election — representing a little over 58% of the city’s voters. Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas [...]

Some people have dreams of escaping their hometowns as soon as they can. Adam Jones was much the same. He graduated from Peabody-Burnes High School in 2004, leaving town and not returning until 2025. Now he's willing to put his body through the ringer to raise money for the community that raised him. He's taking his homecoming as an opportunity to become one part of the effort to support his hometown. Now that he’s back in town, he’s found new drive, working with the Peabody School District to find a way to help. They settled on the issue of food insecurity. [...]

New construction in Wichita could be affected by additional tariffs from Canada because much of the soft lumber in the United States comes from the north. The National Association of Home Builders says two essential materials used in home construction, softwood lumber and gypsum, are sourced mainly from Canada and Mexico.  Wichita builders use Canadian lumber for home construction, which has a current tariff of 14.5%. Former President Joe Biden set that tariff rate in 2024. If a 25% tariff is added on top of that, the Wichita Area Builders Association's CEO says that will cause more uncertainty in the builders' [...]

Dozens of Pittsburg Community Middle School students braved the cold this morning to make a positive impact on their community. This is the Kiwanis Builders Club's fourth time volunteering with the Miners Hall Museum in Franklin. Today, they spread new rubber mulch on the playground surface at Franklin Community Park. Students learned the rewards of working hard while making the playground safer for kids to play on. Source: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Appeals of Sedgwick County’s new property appraisals are running almost double the volume of previous years through mid-March. County Appraiser Mark Clark isn’t surprised. About 87% of residential property owners and 73% of commercial property owners saw an increase in their property valuations for 2025. Homes experienced an average increase of 9%, and commercial property values grew by 11% on average. Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

A Topeka-based manufacturing company cleared the first hurdles on Tuesday, as it looks to expand into Manhattan. City commissioners unanimously advanced an economic development application and incentives package for PTMW, Inc., which plans to lease a speculative industrial warehouse facility in east Manhattan. Morgan Padgett, PTMW’s senior vice president of accounting, told commissioners Tuesday, the company builds pre-fabricated metal enclosures, used in critical infrastructure, such as power delivery or generation and energy storage. Source: themercury.com - RSS Results in news of type article

A long-vacant lot in Valley Center's downtown is being eyed for a new development opportunity. The half-acre property sits along the city's Main Street and has been envisioned to turn into a new mixed-use commercial development with uses like apartments and retail. Valley Center's City Council approved a memorandum of understanding, a non-binding agreement, at its March 18 meeting with the property owner for the city to buy the lot. Source: Wichita Business News - Local Wichita News | The Wichita Business Journal