Municipal News & Jobs

Plaintiff alleges deputy tased her after she refused to exit a patrol vehicle, resulting in injuries. The lawsuit claims head trauma, nerve pain, and PTSD following the incident.
Source: Salina Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Governor Laura Kelly on Friday directed flags be flown at half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities from sunup to sundown on August 11, 2025, in honor of Wyandotte County Deputy Elijah Ming who was killed in the line of duty on July 26, 2025.
Source: ks.gov

“Pepe” the robot dog is used in situations where officers would need to get more information and insight into a dangerous area, without putting an officer or a living K9 in danger. The robot dog has cameras, a microphone, and sensors to map out the room in front of it. Officers can speak through the speaker to talk to individuals from a safe distance.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

In preparation, local agencies formed a unified command, similar to what was used during the response to COVID-19. The unified command includes the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, eXplore Lawrence, the University of Kansas and other organizations throughout Douglas County.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Installation of payment kiosks at some downtown Wichita parking lots begins Monday. It’s part of a second phase of the city’s rollout for paid parking in the downtown area, the city said in a news release.
Read more: Homepage

Agreeing with concerns that led Marion police to seize 130 THC-infused drinks last month, Kansas Bureau of Investigation is giving retailers an unspecified amount of time to remove all such beverages, which the agency contends are illegal.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

To enhance broadband access across Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly announced $10.4 million in grants through the Advancing Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans (ADOPT) program Monday, including $48,989 for the Emporia Public Library (EPL) to install five solar-powered Wi-Fi benches in key locations, expanding free public Wi-Fi.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

Efforts to reduce the speed limit along U.S. 24 Highway in Basehor, Kansas, have ramped up following the death of 16-year-old Cody Lamping in June. Previous reporting states that on Tuesday, June 17, Lamping was driving southbound on 155th Street when he drove through a red light at State Avenue and 24 Highway and was hit by a truck. In the years leading up to the crash, and in the months following Lamping’s death, residents have expressed concerns about the stretch of road – calling it dangerous and requesting that the city change its 65 mph speed limit.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

The City of Great Bend is doubling its mosquito spraying. City Administrator Logan Burns announced Monday that, going forward, foggers will be working from 8 p.m. to midnight on Mondays and Thursdays. In the past, spraying was only on Thursdays.
Read more: Homepage

During the 1800s, train travel was the fastest way to travel coast-to-coast. Now, a private sector wants to bring railroad travel back to the mainstream with a proposed line spanning from New York to Los Angeles. AmeriStarRail has proposed using existing track for its Transcontinental Chief line, a diesel-engine powered railroad system that would allow people to travel from one side of the country to the other in 72 hours. Newton would be a stop on this travel line, slated for opening in 2026.
Read more: Harvey County Now

The Jackson County Commission revisited a resolution they recently approved that gives county employees and contractors the authority to inspect the outside of private homes and buildings in certain instances. At a recent commission meeting, Commissioner Keith Kelly said that, after speaking with members of the public about the “right of entry” resolution, he questioned if the county really needed the resolution.
Read more: The Holton Recorder

After a two-year legal fight that began with disagreements over housing and zoning in Prairie Village, a citizen petition question asking whether to “abandon” the city’s form of government will officially go before voters this November. On Monday, the city council voted 11-0 to approve placing the question, “Shall the City of Prairie Village, Kansas abandon the mayor-council form of government?” on this November’s ballot. Councilmember Ian Graves was absent. That question was the thrust of one of three petitions put forward by a resident-led group in 2023 that opposed the city’s efforts at addressing housing affordability and tweaking zoning codes.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The city of Lenexa is expanding its property tax rebate program after launching it last year as a pilot. Last last week, the city announced it was now accepting applications for the second year of the program, which offers homeowners who are older or disabled veterans a rebate worth up to 75% of the city’s portion of their property tax bill, which for a typical homeowner could range from $500 to $1,000 annually. Originally launched in 2024 as a pilot program, the rebate initiative began after the Lenexa City Council approved $100,000 for it to provide eligible older homeowners and lessen the tax burden resulting from rising home values.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A new public art project by A Mural Movement is planned for the north wall of the Common Ground building (709 5th St.) in downtown Clay Center.  Beginning in September, artist Moses Park will transform nearly 900 sq. feet of blank wall space into a vibrant mural, directly across from the iconic Coca-Cola mural.
Read more: KCLY Radio

On May 18, an EF-3 tornado swept into the small town of just over 240 people around 6:30 p.m., leveling a west-side neighborhood with more than 28 houses and outbuildings. The elementary school and a city-owned golf course were damaged, along with a Frontier Ag grain facility.  Rubble from the May tornado could still be seen on July 9, 2025, in Grinnell. The town has continued cleaning up and making repairs but it will take months to recover. Under tarps in the background, Frontier Ag is storing grain after after its Grinnell facility sustained $5.5 million in damage.
Read more: Kansas Reflector

Rita Bennett remembers the day a twister ripped through Topeka, Kansas, like it was yesterday. The 1966 Topeka tornado killed 17 people, injured more than 500 people and caused $2.3 billion in damage, adjusted for 2023 inflation, making it one of the nation’s costliest tornadoes. The twister tested the longstanding urban legend, based on an oral story passed down by Potawatomi tribe spiritual leaders, that Burnett’s Mound could deflect tornadoes and spare Topeka from incoming storms.
Read more: News

It’s not your average parade — it’s a splash-filled showdown. The annual “Water Wars” parade in Humboldt lived up to its name once again, turning the town’s streets into a giant water fight between floats and spectators.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com – RSS Results in news/local-news of type article

The Emporia Police Department has transformed an unused space at its station into a new “soft interview room”— a quiet, trauma-informed space designed to make crime victims and witnesses feel safe, supported, and heard. “Having to come to the police station can be a scary thing for anybody,” Captain Lisa Hayes of the Emporia Police Department said. “We want them to feel more comfortable, and we don’t want to put them in a room where we would normally put a suspect.” The room, designed in partnership with the national nonprofit Project Beloved, features thoughtful touches meant to ease stress and anxiety. That includes warm lighting, soft furnishings, and identical swivel chairs to give individuals freedom to choose where they sit.
Read more: KSN-TV