info2023-03-07T01:09:39-06:00March 7th, 2023|
A 150-year-old bur oak tree in Overland Park has been removed despite the local residents’ efforts to save it from being cut down. The Kansas Department of Transportation removed the tree in late February to make room for a basin for stormwater runoff as part of the 69Express toll lane project. The bur oak stood on the hill at the southwest corner of West 119th Street and U.S. 69. Source: Prairie Village Post
info2023-03-07T01:07:30-06:00March 7th, 2023|
The mayor of Kansas City Missouri is asking Kansas to kick in $5 million to help bring a new direct international route to its newly opened $1.5 billion airport. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas sent a letter to Gov. Laura Kelly in early January asking Kansas to match a $5 million contribution from the state of Missouri. The request, still standing, comes after the Missouri General Assembly last year approved $5 million in federal stimulus money to help Kansas City recruit an international carrier. Source: Sunflower State Journal
info2023-03-07T01:06:30-06:00March 7th, 2023|
Kansas will spend nearly $5 million on nine short-line rail maintenance and rehabilitation projects. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced the funding on Tuesday. The comes from the state’s Department of Transportation’s Short Line Rail Improvement Fund (SLRIF) program. “These nine rail improvement projects will strengthen Kansas’ agriculture supply chain, connecting our farmers and ranchers to regional, national, and international markets,” Governor Kelly said in a press release. “My administration will continue to invest in needed and commonsense infrastructure improvements like these to maximize our state’s economic potential.” Source: The Chanute Tribune
info2023-03-07T00:59:55-06:00March 7th, 2023|
Jacqueline Kelly will leave her job as city attorney for Bel Aire to start later this month as city attorney for Derby. Her first day will be March 20. "Bel Aire has been great, and it's growing so nicely, I'm just happy for the city but also very excited to be part of all the good things going on in Derby," Kelly said in an interview with the WBJ. Source: Wichita Business Journal
info2023-03-07T00:39:41-06:00March 7th, 2023|
Alcohol laws could be changing in Kansas after the Kansas House of Representatives passed two bills. The first bill would allow anyone over the age of 21 to “bar-hop” in a common consumption area, which means someone can have a drink hand and walk to another bar. The power to establish those areas would be left with cities and local governments. A second bill approved by the Kansas House would allow more bars to be opened on Sundays. Source: KMBC.com
info2023-03-06T09:48:06-06:00March 6th, 2023|
Boyd Gaming Corp. announced Feb. 28 it submitted an application to the state to build and operate a historical horse-racing (HHR) gaming facility in Park City. The casino would be located directly south of Hartman Arena. Boyd Gaming operates the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane. It plans to partner with Laham Development for the construction of Diamond Jo Park City. "We looked at a number of sites in Sedgwick County when we started working with Boyd Gaming," said George Laham of Laham Development. "After looking at those sites, we decided that this was certainly the best site in the county. We're [...]
info2023-03-06T09:46:26-06:00March 6th, 2023|
On a day when lawmakers made headlines across the state for considering a slate of bills to roll back Kansas voting laws and transgender rights, a pair of bills designed to attack the state's looming water crisis didn't make a drop in the bucket. Indeed, while members of both parties became mired in contentious debate, the water bills became a rare respite of bipartisan acclaim — one Rep. Doug Blex, R-Independence, believed came not a moment too soon. "We’ll have a tendency to kick this can down the road," Blex, a biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said [...]
info2023-03-06T09:45:51-06:00March 6th, 2023|
Local Topeka officials are one step closer to changing a Kansas law to make it easier for event organizers to allow public alcohol consumption downtown and in NOTO. "Allowing visitors to get a drink from one of the seven establishments to enjoy while taking in all that NOTO has to offer would add to vibrancy of the district," said Thomas Underwood, executive director of the NOTO Arts and Entertainment District. In 2017, the Legislature authorized cities or counties to create special districts called common consumption areas where patrons can purchase, consume and carry alcohol off of a licensed property, such as [...]
info2023-03-06T09:45:21-06:00March 6th, 2023|
The Reno County Commission approved that the Reno County Department of Health applies for a $1 million grant for an Opioid Stimulant and Substance Use site-based program. The Department of Justice awards this three-year grant to help alleviate drug use issues in rural communities. If funded, the Reno County Health Department will support the work of an Overdose Fatality Review Board and the establishment of Medication Assisted Treatment in the Reno County Jail. These actions will support prevention efforts, individuals needing recovery support, and keeping individuals out of jail and out of the court system. Source: Hutch News
info2023-03-06T09:43:32-06:00March 6th, 2023|
Shawnee County officials have the technology during tornado warnings to sound sirens only in the storm’s path. But they recently decided, at least for now, to first sound them countywide to get people’s attention. “We anticipate doing this for the next few years,” said Dusty Nichols, director of Shawnee County Emergency Management. “It is kind of a culture shift, and we need to educate and err on the side of safety.” Nichols’ department over the past couple years has been capable, whenever a tornado warning is put out, of drawing a polygon on a computer screen map to arrange for sirens [...]
