Kansas Municipal News
All of Kansas at high risk for West Nile virus
Kansas health officials have revised their West Nile virus risk level for most of northern Kansas and the southeast part of the state.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s new risk map shows south-central, southwest and northeast Kansas are still at high risk while the other portions have been downgraded to moderate risk.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Wichita police to hold news conference with U.S. Marshals Service on effort to reduce violent crime
The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is hosting a joint news conference today at 2 p.m. led by the U.S. Marshals Service to discuss the successes of a recent collaborative effort to reduce violent crime in Wichita titled, “Operation Triple Beam.”
The operation was held from June through July and helped decrease violent crime in Wichita by targeting violent offenders. The efforts ended with more than 900 arrests, the seizure of more than 80 guns, over $142,000 in cash and $835,000 in illegal narcotics.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Annual USD 308 convocation held Monday
Hutchinson USD 308 held its annual convocation Monday with more than 900 staff members attending.
Several educators were honored during the event. The Davis Foundation made its annual Teachers of the Year Awards. The elementary winners were Heather Ramos, a third-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, and Glinda Theus, a third-grade teacher at Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen.
The middle school winner was Kendall Vogts, English language arts teacher at Hutchinson Middle School – 8.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Ribbon cutting and grand opening are scheduled for Mas-Help in Junction City
MAS-HELP will be a new nonprofit wholesale distribution outlet in Junction City that supports the military and the community. The grand opening and ribbon cutting have been scheduled for this Friday, August 16th, at 1216 Grant Avenue. The ribbon cutting will be at 10:30 a.m. and the grand opening will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
MAS-HELP operates from Atlanta, Georgia and as a U.S. 501c3 works to support the larger military community to drive mutual support for today’s active duty military, retired military, their families and the entire veteran population.
In Junction City the Managing Director for MAS-HELP is Henry Petty.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
KDOT to bring back the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program
A new program will help replace and rehabilitate deficient bridges in Kansas.
The Kansas Department of Transportation has brought back the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program.
This program will provide $5 million to go towards cities and counties that need to replace or renovate bridges.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)
Ulysses teen receives Teen Choice Award
Braxton Moral, 18, a spring graduate of Ulysses High School and Harvard, was in California this last weekend for Teen Choice 2019.
Moral was the first person to earn a high school diploma and a four-year-degree from Harvard simultaneously. He was one of eight entries receiving the Teen Choice Take Note Award, which was presented by Crayola.
The annual Teen Choice awards event, aired live Sunday on FOX from Hermosa Beach, California, recognizes entertainers and performers. Teens cast over 55 million votes via Twitter and FOX.com, according to FOX.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Contaminant in Auburn district drinking water exceeds EPA standards
Each of the three times it was tested this year, water provided by Auburn Rural Water District No. 1 near S.W. 61st and Hoch Road was found to be out of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards for a contaminant called haloacetic acids.
That district receives its water from the city of Topeka. The city blames this year’s abnormally high contaminant levels at Auburn and in other cities across Kansas on excessive rains and releases of water into the Kansas River from upstream reservoirs.
The Auburn water is still safe to drink, and customers do not need to switch to bottled water, district manager Mike Dawson said in a letter he mailed out Wednesday.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
KDHE secretary making push for emphasis on quality of Kansas drinking water
The top environmental and health official in the administration of Gov. Laura Kelly said understandable public attention on sustaining sufficient quantities of water in the agriculture-heavy state led to lack of focus on the quality of drinking water.
“One of the things that gets all the attention is water quantity, but I think we can’t turn a blind eye to water quality,” said Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “We don’t want a Flint, Michigan, in Kansas.”
(Read more: News – SJ News Online – St. John, KS)
How One City Saved $5 Million by Routing School Buses with an Algorithm
The yellow school bus has remained largely unchanged since it first debuted in 1939. But while the buses look the same, their routes have grown infinitely more complex in the past 80 years, as the number of students, schools, and road systems grow and change.
Drawing bus routes for Boston Public Schools involves challenges unique to the city. BPS allows parents to select their child’s school from a list of about ten options, in an effort to reduce inequalities that might result from isolating students to their neighborhoods. While this represents a greater level of choice than most cities, the resulting bus routes can be meandering and complicated.
(Read more: Route Fifty – All Content)
Rates & Financial Planning Workshop (Junction City) this Wednesday, August 14! (Sign up if you haven’t already)
The Kansas Department of Health Environment (KDHE) Capacity Development Program, in partnership with Wichita State Environmental Finance Center (EFC), Ranson Financial and Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU), encourages representatives from your utility to attend an upcoming rate setting and financial planning training. The session provides participants with an understanding on major considerations when setting rates; rate structure options and pricing objectives; financial planning considerations; and strategies for communicating rate information to your board and community. The training will provide classroom instruction as well as interactive participant exercises and discussion.
Training is approved for 1 CMC Experience or 1 MMC Advanced Education point for city clerks.
Complimentary book with attendance!
All participants will receive a complimentary copy of M54, Developing Rates for Small Systems, 2nd Edition by the American Water Works Association.
Rolla offers free rent to help fill teaching positions
For some areas, school starts next week, and for many Kansas communities, the struggle isn’t bringing students into the schools but the teachers.
USD 217 Superintendent John Barrett has worked all summer to fill two teaching positions.
After making some adjustments, he said they finally found someone.
“We decided, in order to attract people, we started out with six months free rent, and we’ve since then increased it to a year,” said USD 217 Superintendent John Barrett.
Read more: KSN.
CenturyLink is closing its JoCo office after getting millions in Kansas tax credits
Telephone and internet service provider CenturyLink received millions of dollars in Kansas economic development incentives. But apparently it wasn’t enough.
CenturyLink informed employees in July of its decision not to renew a longstanding lease at 600 New Century Parkway in Gardner’s New Century AirCenter. The lease will expire on June 30 of next year.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Hutchinson Police target repeat offenders with selective enforcement
Thursday night, the Hutchinson Police Department completed their first selective enforcement operation, resulting in multiple drug arrests, warrant arrests and citations.
It was a combined effort with the department’s Repeat Offender Unit, two K9 teams, detectives and members of the traffic bureau. Teams of two conducted multiple traffic stops, subject stops and warrant checks.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Officer, television news reporter injured by visitor fleeing Sedgwick County jail
Three people were arrested Friday afternoon after a chaotic car chase across Wichita that started at the Sedgwick County Jail.
Victor Walker, 28, was at the jail to pick up property from an inmate Friday afternoon when Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies realized he had an active warrant for his arrest, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Myers said.
Deputies had Walker cuffed behind his back and were processing his property when he took off, Myers said.
(Read more: Local News |)
Towns near the Flint Hills Trail hope breweries and festivals will draw in visitors
Visitors to one of the state’s newest parks can hike or bike over rocky streams and travel through hills, wetlands, tallgrass prairie and hardwood forests.
But the Flint Hills Trail – the longest nature trail in Kansas- also serves as an artery to rural Kansas that pumps economic development into towns left behind when the railroads stopped coming through.
Now several towns along the trail in east central Kansas are planning music festivals, opening breweries and bike shops, and converting old buildings to Airbnbs to serve visitors.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Local truck traffic regs a hot issue
The ordinance regulating truck traffic through Arkansas City was brought under fire Tuesday during a city commission meeting.
Jim Sybrant, owner of Ark City Warehouse on West Madison Avenue, brought his concerns and asked the commission to consider several revisions.
Sybrant, who operates a trucking firm, said he was informed by a local officer that on Wednesday officers would be stopping all trucks going through Arkansas City. He said the move was intended to encourage drivers to make use of the U.S. 77 Bypass instead of entering the city.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Historic theater celebrates the 80th anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with 3-D movie
The Augusta Historic Theatre is celebrating the 80th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” movie this weekend with three screenings of the 3D version of the musical film based on L. Frank Baum’s fantastical book about a Kansas farm girl.
“We are the only theater in Kansas showing ‘Wizard of Oz’ in 3D,” said Gwyn Birk, a board member on the Augusta Arts Council, which operates the theater.
Organizers hope that fact, along with the opportunity to see a classic movie in a classic venue, will attract fans of the film. The movie is being shown at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with an additional screening at noon on Saturday. All shows cost $8 per person. Proceeds from ticket sales are used for operational costs.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)
Former employee sues Unified Government for harassment after jury convicts her boss
A former employee has sued the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, not quite two weeks after a jury convicted her boss of misdemeanor battery against her.
Madeline Waldeck sued the UG on Friday for discrimination, harassment and retaliation stemming from its handling of her complaints that former director of general services, Dennis “Tib” Laughlin, created a hostile work environment toward her, culminating in a 2018 incident in which he grabbed and pushed her.
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Appeal period still open on amended Reno County floodplain map
State officials are reminding Reno County residents of the ongoing appeal period for a proposed new federal flood plain map.
The proposed map updating the 100-year flood plain for certain portions of Reno County — including the cities of Hutchinson, Nickerson, South Hutchinson and Willowbrook — was released for public review in April 2018.
FEMA and the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources developed the maps using data produced as a result of recent local efforts to re-certify flood levees along the Arkansas River.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
JoCo commission approves $1.25 billion budget that holds mill rate steady — but worries about revenue linger
With no small amount of angst, the Johnson County Commission approved a $1.25 billion budget Thursday.
Commissioners repeated their concerns about upcoming court cases involving the property valuations of commercial properties that are under appeal, but ultimately gave a final okay for a budget that keeps the taxing rate steady at 26.013 mills as property values have increased.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)