Kansas Municipal News
Our Past is Present
In 1949, Junction City’s new radio station, KJCK, was located above the Leedy Drug Store. During the programming there was a segment titled “The Good Neighbor Program”. On this show, local residents were recognized for being “good neighbors” and good citizens.
One of the first honored was Mary A. Verbeke. She was recognized for her kind acts of sending encouraging words to people.
Mary Verbeke was born in Belgium. When Mary was eight years old, she immigrated to this country with her mother. During their train trip to Junction City, there was a need to change trains in Kansas City. Mary and her mother witnessed women chewing something at the train station. It was uncommon in Belgium to see women chewing and the only reference was that of men, who chewed tobacco. So, strange as it may have seemed to them, Mary and her mother assumed the women were also chewing tobacco. However, in fact, the women were chewing gum.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Midwest Energy asks Hays customers to conserve power Monday, Tuesday
Midwest Energy is asking its Hays customers to conserve electricity on the afternoons of Monday and Tuesday between the hours of noon and 7 p.m.
The request is being issued following the downing of several key power lines in northwest Hays during a storm the evening of Aug. 13.
With several key lines out of service, Hays is being supplied using powerlines from the South and East.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Ellis County Commission to discuss proposal for new public works building
At Monday’s meeting, the Ellis County Commission will discuss a proposal for a new building for the public works shop.
The county commission will meet at 5 p.m. at the Ellis County Administrative Center.
The current public works shop at 1195 280th Ave. was constructed in the 1960s and has not had any significant upgrades since.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Gardner approves resolution; Olathe to issue bonds for OMC clinic
The Gardner City Council approved a resolution August 5 for the issuance of revenue bonds by the city of Olathe to finance facilities located within Gardner’s corporate limits.
According to Mathew Wollf, finance director, Olathe Medical Center, the leading healthcare provider in Southwest Johnson County, has asked the neighboring city of Olathe to issue revenue bonds to finance healthcare facilities in the region.
One of the facilities, a clinic, will be located on 189th Terrace in Gardner.
State and federal law require that the city of Gardner approve issuance of the bonds since part of the project will be within its jurisdiction.(Read more: Gardner News)
‘It’s only going to get worse’: Heat index to soar over 100 degrees in Kansas City
It will be a dangerous and uncomfortable start to the work week in the Kansas City area as the heat index is expected to climb over 100 degrees on Monday, according to the local FOX4 television station.
“Later on today it is going to be hot and humid with highs topping out in the lower 90s — and that’s just the air temperature,” said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter, who provided the weather update to The Star.
Ritter said it will feel even warmer than that, with the heat index climbing into the triple digits Monday afternoon.
(Read more: KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime |)
Strong winds caused about 140 rail cars to derail in Central Kansas
Authorities say strong winds caused about 140 rail cars from two trains to derail over the weekend in central Kansas.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the derailments happened late Saturday near Walton. The National Weather Service says the rail cars were all empty and many were double stacked. No injuries were reported.
Wind gusts at a nearby airport in Newton measured as high as high 67 mph around the time of the derailment.
(Read more: 1350 KMAN)
Burrton schools district office damaged by quake
Burrton School officials relocated high school classes to middle and elementary school classrooms Friday morning after Reno County’s 4.2 magnitude earthquake appeared to have damaged several walls in the district’s school building.
The students were allowed to return to their classrooms after lunch, however, after a structural engineer determined damage to the high school itself was only cosmetic.
The district’s central office did suffer structural damage, said Superintendent Joan Simoneau, so they’ll have to relocate those offices until the building can be repaired.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Planners to consider wind farm regs
Discussion will begin in earnest next week on possible wind farm regulations for the area surrounding Parsons.
The Parsons Planning Commission will meet Tuesday to begin consideration of a zoning amendment for wind energy conversion systems in the 3-mile area.
After a recommendation from City Commissioner Tom Shaw to develop wind turbine regulations, the planners first took up the issue in a July 23 meeting. They decided the full planning commission, instead of a subcommittee, should look into the issue.
Labette County has no zoning regulations, and county commissioners have indicated they have no intentions to approve zoning laws. The city of Parsons, however, has zoning jurisdiction over the outlying area surrounding the city, very roughly a 3-mile radius except in Neosho County, the Great Plains Industrial Park and other areas.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)
DCCC helicopter program takes off
Dodge City Community College has been granted permission to enroll veterans in the college helicopter flight program.
The Veteran’s Administration and the Arizona State Approving Agency gave the college permission, and according to DCCC Provost Adam John, students and officials knew the re-certification process was nearing a conclusion, so when approval was official, veterans signed up quickly.
“We are anticipating 20 students in the program for the fall semester,” John said.
(Read more: News – Kiowa County Signal – Kiowa County, KS)
Lake Shawnee’s use of herbicide to combat Eurasian milfoil draws criticism
Lake Shawnee has been identified time and again as one of the most idyllic locations in Shawnee County, leading county commissioners to invest heavily in the area in recent years with new walking paths and other features.
But maintaining that beauty, and more importantly, what’s under the water, can be challenging and at times controversial.
Blue-green algae is probably the most prominent issue with aquatic vegetation that many Kansas lakes and reservoirs have dealt with, often making headlines when a new case of the toxic algae springs up. But another type of difficult-to-control vegetation rarely garners much attention from the media — Eurasian watermilfoil.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
City discusses software upgrade, water treatment plant update
Along with the budget, construction and new projects were also a hot topic for the Liberal City Commission during its most recent meeting Tuesday night.
Up first with this was the discussion of a Sensus upgrade for the Water Department.
“This is basically a software upgrade that’s going to be spread out over the next five years so we can afford it properly,” City Manager Cal Burke said. “This software does have a lot more capabilities than what our prior software had and basically, the old software is going to die away on us.”
(Read more: Liberal First)
Ellis police chief thanks community, MWE for storm recovery efforts
From a social media post by Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates this morning:
(Read more: Hays Post)
Planning Commission to discuss changes in development density requirements, parking requirements
The Hays Area Planning and Development Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
Agenda items for Aug. 19 include discussion of proposed changes to the Unified Development Code regarding a reduction in development density requirements and changes in parking requirements.
City staff is considering some changes to the UDC that would remove specific requirements for development density.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Relief coming to the ‘worse streets’ in town
A long-awaited project to reconstruct a section of the west side of Derby has a contract to proceed.
At its Aug. 13 meeting, the City Council approved a $1.8 million bid from Pearson Construction LCC to rebuild Kay and Water streets from K-15 to Madison Avenue.
The project will reconstruct the streets to what is known as an industrial standard. That includes stormwater sewers, curbs and gutters, and a sidewalk on one side.
Johnson County celebrates milestone in courthouse construction
The frame for the new Johnson County Courthouse under construction in downtown Olathe has been completed. Johnson County staff, Olathe city staff and JE Dunn Construction celebrated Tuesday, Aug. 13 with a “topping out” ceremony at the construction site, when crews raised the last steel beam 238 feet to the courthouse’s highest point in its structural framing. When it opens in early 2021, the new courthouse, with 28 courtrooms and approximately 350,000 square feet of space, is expected to address the county’s criminal justice needs for the next 75 years as Johnson County continues to grow.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)
Storm winds blow trains off tracks in Kansas
Strong winds from a line of thunderstorms blew over two BNSF freight trains in Harvey County Saturday night near the small town of Walton, or about 7 miles northeast of Newton.
The winds, estimated at nearly 70 miles per hour, pushed over an intermodal train on the mainline and an empty LP gas tank car train on the siding.
Emergency crews were on the scene throughout the day trying to clear the wreckage so trains could start moving again. Two portions of the nearly two-mile-long intermodal train left the tracks while the entire train hauling the tank cars fell on its side. The wreck also stopped Amtrak’s Southwest Chief heading west before it could reach Newton.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
USGS: 6 earthquakes reported in Reno County in 24-hours
Two additional small earthquakes shook Reno County following the four quakes Friday morning.
A quake just after 8p.m. measured a magnitude 3.0 and was centered approximately one mile west of South Hutchinson, according to the USGS.
Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, a magnitude 2.8 quake centered 2 miles west of South Hutch.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Bob Myers to retire as Newton city manager, legal counsel
Newton city manager and senior legal counsel Bob Myers has announced he will retire in January 2020 after 35 years with the City of Newton.
Myers has served in this position since June 2016, following 31 years as Newton’s city attorney.
“Newton has been my home for over 40 years, and I’m very invested in the community,” Myers said. “When I was asked to assume the city manager position, the city organization was in some turmoil, and I wanted to do what I could to help ‘right the ship.’ ”
(Read more: Newton Kansan)
100 years ago, people were upset about the cost of electricity in Wellington
The saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Yes, 100 years ago, people were upset about the city’s production of electricity. In the summer of 1919, city commissioners were facing an increasing deficit in its electric department and were finding they were selling it for less than it cost to make.
“For the last two or three years, they have been sailing along serenely, doing business in the sale of electric juice to private customers in Wellington and to surrounding towns, who have been buying the sparkling fluid through a corporation known as Western Sumner Electric Light and Power Company.”
The city was facing more demand and realizing to keep up it would need a new generator or would have to reduce consumption.
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
New wind projects could generate thousands of jobs, billions in revenue
Despite a drought in new wind development proposals over the last decade, about $8 billion could flow into ongoing wind energy projects in Wyoming, providing one possible solution to the state’s precarious revenue outlook.
Primarily located in the blustery prairie of Carbon and Converse counties, about a dozen wind projects in various stages of growth could unlock sizable economic returns and increase the state’s energy capacity some five times over. If the wind projects already in permitting or construction phases come to fruition, approximately $7.1 billion and 4,700 new jobs could result, according to the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy. That estimate excludes projects still in their planning stages.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)