Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas farmers are harvesting millions of acres of corn that power the state’s economy — but as the Ogallala Aquifer shrinks, its future looks uncertain. It’s harvest time in Kansas. Across the state, combines have begun shaving down and chopping up over 6 million acres of corn. Isaac Yara is a truck driver, so he sees almost nothing but those corn fields hauling grain across the high plains. This season is a busy one for him. Why are those signature corn fields so ubiquitous in rural America, including western Kansas where the crop relies on the shrinking Ogallala Aquifer to thrive? That’s because in western Kansas, there is a huge demand for it. The major corn industry is connected to most of the jobs, like truck driving, the cattle industry and farming. But the problem is, corn is not as well suited as other crops to this region. All of the economic infrastructure and pressure makes growing corn a simple choice for now, but in the long term it might not be a sustainable option.
Read more: The Iola Register

Iola officials were notified last week that the city must conduct more tests among its residents whose homes may have lead water lines or fixtures. Iola will test its water more frequently for lead over the next year as part of an edict handed down from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Toby Ross, water plant superintendent, and Mitch Phillips, the city’s water distribution superintendent, spoke about a recent KDHE notification, directing the city to ramp up its testing after three homes tested above the EPA threshold of lead in their drinking water over the summer. The threshold, mind you, is 15 parts of lead per billion units of water, a number infinitesimally small, Ross noted.
Read more: The Iola Register

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released the minutes from its Sept. 16-17 meeting where it voted to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point.
Read more: cnbc.com

McPherson County is commissioning the design of an official county seal that will be displayed at the McPherson County Building at Maple and Marlin when it opens early next year. The County Commission Monday approved a scope of work agreement with BowerComm, carrying a $3,500 budget. The seal is envisioned as an art piece that conveys the county’s identity and values while avoiding the pitfalls of being overly cluttered, cartoonish or confused with a logo. This seal could at some future time become widely adopted across county communications. Concept sketches are expected to be available within three weeks with the final design approval by Nov. 15 to align with building construction.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Activation of warning sirens within the Arkansas City limits is now the responsibility of Cowley County Emergency Management after Ark City commissioners unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding Tuesday transferring that authority to the county. That responsibility had been carried out by the city’s Emergency Management Coordinator, a position cut from the budget next year to save costs. “We’re still responsible for the sirens, the maintenance, all the costs of that,” City Manager Randy Frazer said. “It just the operation of when they are set off is on the county.”
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results

Over the last several years, the Emporia Police Department has adopted the targeted usage of drones in emergency and non-emergency situations. The drones were most recently used during a narcotics investigation on State street, to arrest Christopher Diaz on counts of ​​Distribution of a Controlled Substance and No Drug Tax Stamp.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com/*

Sunshine from the front bay windows of the Peabody Township Public Library brushes the desks and chairs and books inside with a natural warmth no electric light can match. This scene, or something near to it, has repeated itself every afternoon since the library opened in 1914. The bay windows, set beneath patterned stained glass transoms, are on either side of the front door. The wooden chairs are the same chairs the first patrons used all those years ago, although they have since been refinished. Over the circulation desk is a black-and-white photo of Emma Christ, the librarian in charge at the opening. On behalf of a civic committee, Miss Christ wrote to Andrew Carnegie asking him to fund a new library building in this railroad town in east-central Kansas. And he did.
Read more: Homepage

A landfill is more than a final resting place for garbage; it’s a carefully engineered operation guided by environmental science and strict regulations from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Environmental Protection Agency, she said. The sprawling, 89.2-acre permitted waste footprint serves Barton as well as surrounding counties, demonstrating a vital commitment to public health and the environment. “Landfills are very important,” said Hamby, who has been with the Solid Waste Department for 15 years, three as director. “Without landfills, waste would accumulate in unregulated dump sites, ditches and city streets.”
Read more: gbtribune.com

Corporations that see Kansas as flyover country are quick to see opportunities for energy projects – from oil to wind and solar. Even when these projects are successful, they may not be beneficial to Kansas, depending on your point of view.
Read more: gbtribune.com

Hallbrook North — a $765 million development of high-rise office buildings plus a hotel, child care building and apartments proposed near State Line Road and Interstate 435 — got a unanimous thumbs up from the Leawood City Council on Monday night. The development by VanTrust Real Estate is the largest to date proposed for Leawood, said City Administrator Diane Stoddard. It comes with a $125 million ask for a variety of incentives, which councilmembers also appeared to view favorably. As Monday’s meeting ended, councilmembers also unanimously voted to move forward on the incentives by establishing a redevelopment district. Actions and public hearings on the specific incentives will follow in the next couple of months.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A focus group meeting was held for USD 379 on September 30th at Lincoln School, with about 32 people in attendance. The meeting was ran by HTK Architects, the firm that was hired to run the bond issue. Architects Maria Kutina, principal in charge, and Noah Mediavilla, project manager, started with a presentation about the bond issue process, which includes research, vision, program, collaboration, and resolution/voting.  Kutina also spoke on the current climate of public schools, which have come to require bonds in order to afford asset maintenance. 
Read more: KCLY Radio

The Kansas City Police Department has struggled to recruit new officers for years, especially after protests against misconduct and racism. But Chief Stacey Graves says a record number of new recruits graduated into the department in August, and next year’s class is similarly robust.
Read more: kcur.org

One detail was unspoken during the Wichita City Council’s recent debate over stronger enforcement of an ordinance against homeless encampments: Cleanups are far more frequent than they were prior to the updated ordinance, according to a Journal analysis of public records, and they have been occurring, on average, at least daily since stricter enforcement began in March. After the council voted to crack down on illegal camping in the city last December, formal encampment cleanups are up from an average of 14 a month to 38 a month – a 171% increase compared to last year. Despite the acceleration, some council members are dissatisfied. Mayor Lily Wu unexpectedly expressed her frustrations with visible homelessness at a recent City Council workshop.
Read more: KLC Journal

Freeman Health System has decided against building a new hospital in southeast Kansas following its feasibility study. According to Freeman, the original purpose of the hospital was to fill a gap in quality healthcare services in the region. Freeman says the study considered multiple factors, including the impact of pending legislation, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and evolving challenges in rural healthcare. Both of those variables contributed to the final decision.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is inviting Kansans to share their ideas and discuss transportation priorities during a series of local consultations scheduled throughout October.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

A new museum dedicated to farm toys has opened at the Dickinson County Heritage Center in Abilene, celebrating the state’s agricultural roots and history. The Farm Toy Museum features nearly 2,000 miniature farm implements, including tractors, combines, and plows, with a significant portion of the collection donated by John Gruber and his wife, Kathy. “You know it’s very unique in the fact that as far as we know, other than Dyersville, Iowa, we are the only farm toy museum kind of in the Midwest area that we are aware of,” said Austin Anders, Director of the Dickinson County Heritage Center.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County and city leaders met with the Kansas Department of Transportation on Wednesday to discuss transportation priorities, including the proposed Northwest Expressway. The Northwest Expressway project would connect Maize, Goddard, and southwest Wichita. “We’ve already invested over $20 million into buying the right of way for the Northwest Expressway. We want to make sure that the state realizes this is important to the people in Sedgwick County,” said Ryan Baty, Sedgwick County Commission Chair. Baty said another important discussion was on the aging infrastructure of Interstate 135, or Wichita’s Canal Route, “a six-mile stretch through the heart of Wichita.” KDOT is working on plans to repair and ensure the long-term durability of the route, which is made up of many flyovers, bridges, and overpasses.
Read more: KSN-TV

The first Buc-ee’s convenience store in Kansas is now set to break ground late next week. The project has experienced several delays since June. The $95 million project was expected to start last Wednesday, but the company wanted to work on an official groundbreaking ceremony. Construction on the 74,000 square foot store was originally scheduled to begin in late June. The groundbreaking for the new Kansas City, Kansas store will be next to Kansas Speedway at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Read more: KSN-TV

A Kansas community is rallying to help save its local drive-in theater. A Kanopolis couple purchased the Kanopolis Drive-In theater last year. The drive-in opened for the season on May 23. The theater had been operating throughout the season, that is, until Thursday, Oct. 2. The Kanopolis Drive-In’s projector broke down, and the cost to replace it is steep. The theater will need to raise at least $100,000, on the low end.
Read more: KSN-TV

Newman Regional Health was awarded a $485,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation to expand health care access to rural communities. The grant will be used to launch Newman’s two-year Telehealth for Rural Health Equity: Expanding Specialty Access Through Infrastructure Innovation program, which aims to serve residents in seven counties across east-central Kansas.
Read more: KSN-TV