News

After the Hen House Market closed in 2018 following its two decades in Merriam, residents have said they wanted to see a replacement come forward, no matter what it takes. Nearly seven years later, they could see its replacement come to fruition if the Merriam City Council approves a new project plan, tax incentives and rezoning for a sprawling redevelopment during a special meeting on Monday. Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

A Kansas City auto plant will be part of a $4 billion investment to boost production of gas and electric vehicles in the United States. General Motors announced in a news release that the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, will be part of the two-year investment plan, which will allow for 2 million more vehicles to be built each year. Source: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

The Chapman Center for Rural Studies and the Riley County Genealogical Society (RCGS) are collaborating to present ‘Big Dam Foolishness: The Drowned Settlements of the Blue River Valley’ in the Manhattan Public Library Auditorium on Sunday, June 22nd at 2:30 p.m. The Presentation, presented by KSU senior Dakota Boyles, will speak about the lost town of Carnahan Creek and other communities due to the construction of the Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Source: KCLY Radio

Kansas hospitals continue to face financial challenges, straining their ability to serve communities. To better understand the situation, the Kansas Hospital Association partnered with national CPA firm PYA to evaluate hospital finances, commercial insurer strength, and regional comparisons. Source: KCLY Radio

Federal Reserve officials get to voice their outlook this week on the future path of interest rates along with the impact that tariffs and Middle East turmoil will have on the economy. While any immediate movement on interest rates seems improbable, the policy meeting, which concludes Wednesday, will feature important signals that still could move markets. Source: Economy

The city of Prairie Village is locked in on a $30 million municipal complex project, despite some resident calls for a public vote on the issue. On Monday, the Prairie Village City Council in two separate 9-2 votes made critical decisions that moved the $30 million project — for a $23 million city hall and a $7 million police department renovation — forward. Source: Johnson County Post

Thunderstorms moving through south-central Kansas Tuesday morning caused wind damage, flash flooding and power outages across the region, including in Wichita. The National Weather Service recorded a 101 mph wind gust at 4:22 a.m. at the Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita. Several other locations reported gusts of 60 mph or more. Source: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

The city of Westwood wants the public’s input on the future of the former Westwood View Elementary property, months after a public vote effectively scuttled a previous plan that would have turned it into a park. Now, the city finds itself going back to the drawing board to have a say in what happens in one of the last blocks of green space in Westwood. That process is beginning with a community input survey, available online through June 25. Source: Johnson County Post

The month of May brought a stomach-turning moment to the residents of Greensburg, a rural Kansas community that was 95% obliterated by a tornado on May 4, 2007. On May 18, a storm bearing a vivid tornadic signature on radar seemed to be aimed at the town, prompting the second time in Greensburg’s history that a tornado emergency was declared. The one other time was 18 years earlier. But what Greensburg accomplished after a 1.7-mile-wide EF-5 tornado ripped through the town, killing 12 people and flattening public buildings, businesses and private homes, is a testament to what can happen — and [...]

Debate in Prairie Village over the cost of building a new city hall and other improvements. But the suburb says "yes" on moving forward with the massive plan. City council members on Monday night approved authorizing the project and the issuance of bonds for the City Hall and the Municipal Complex Project. Bottom line, the project is moving forward. Source: KSN-TV