Kansas Municipal News
Loose dogs a big concern for many residents after vicious attacks
Halstead’s city council was met Monday night by a room full of residents with one thing on their mind: dog attacks. In total, 13 people voiced their concerns about dangerous dogs roaming free and the threat to everyone’s safety that those dogs impose. Bud Bryant started by saying that he was attacked by two pit bulls recently, and they drew blood. He said for several towns it’s a one-time deal and then the dog is euthanized. He said he was told that a one-time attack means the dogs can’t be in the city.
Source: Harvey County Now
A new dog park is coming to west Wichita
The Wichita City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to create a new dog park on the city’s west side. The 7-0 vote approves the design and construction of the dog park at Country Acres Park northwest of Central and Ridge Road. The 2023-2032 Capital Improvement Program contains $750,000 for design and construction and $50,000 for public art. The council proposal said the city has received many requests for a dog park on that side of town. The only other one on the west side is K-9 Rooster Dog Park at 21st Street North and Meridian.
Source: KAKE – News
New pickleball complex could be a noisy addition to southside Wichita
The Wichita City Council approved a sound study Tuesday to determine how loud the planned South Lakes Pickleball Complex will be and whether measures need to be taken to reduce noise. Neighbors and pickleball players seem excited about the building, which would be the biggest city-built pickleball complex in Wichita. Sound studies are standard procedure before breaking ground on big projects, according to the City. The sound of the plastic ball connecting with paddles is a welcome rhythm for lovers of the sport.
Source: KSN-TV
One Kansas school bans popular app over privacy concerns
Where do you draw the line with privacy? The Buhler school district has banned one app over privacy concerns for the new year. “As a district, we have blocked this app from all of our devices from our network,” said Buhler USD 313 superintendent Cindy Couchman. “And that is due to the privacy concerns that we noticed right away, and our technology director pointed out.” Concerns arose after the tech director for the school noticed some apps were sharing a lot of information and making it public. The latest app to get scrutiny is called Saturn – Time Together.
Source: KSN-TV
Argonia moves to four day school week, creating challenges for parents
As of Tuesday, there are no classes on Mondays for Argonia Public Schools. Many kids are happy about an extra day off, but some parents now need to find child care. The district’s superintendent believes they have taken steps to help with that issue. “One thing we did do, is we have day care available on Mondays for parents that have to work five days a week,” said Argonia Superintendent Rustin Clark. The cost of the daycare is $25 for the day, and they will provide a lunch for the children who are attending.
Source: KSN-TV
Hays Police Department says not to worry if you see these birds on the ground
The Hays Police Department says not to worry if you see a Mississippi kite on the ground. According to the HPD, many of their CSOs have been responding to multiple calls for young Mississippi kites on the ground. “Reporting parties believe the kites to be injured because they spread their wings to make themselves look bigger to anything that may harm them,” the HPD said. The HPD says while they appreciate people caring enough to call, it is the time of year when the youngsters are learning to fly.
Source: KSN-TV
Interim chief picked to permanently lead Hutchinson PD
The City of Hutchinson has named a familiar face to lead the police department. Interim Police Chief Brice Burlie has been chosen to permanently serve as chief of the department. Burlie had been serving in the role since June, taking over for a previous interim chief who had been serving in the role since the March firing of former chief Jeff Hooper. Burlie has been with the Hutchinson Police Department for 24 years, where he reached the level of Operations Captain before moving into the interim chief role. He is a graduate of Kansas State with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and sociology and has also completed extensive command-level training at Wichita State, KU, and Northwestern University.
Source: KSN-TV
Johnson County adopts new policy after man sends hundreds of harassing phone calls
Incessant and often angry, harassing calls and emails from one Overland Park resident to Johnson County and Overland Park employees have so overwhelmed law enforcement that it has slowed their ability to answer 911 calls, interfered with their focus and eaten up untold staff time deciphering lengthy emails, county officials said. The alleged author of those emails and calls — Leonid Khayet, a man who last year gained some local recognition for raising $200,000 to help Ukrainians flee war — was booked into the county Central Booking Facility on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and released on bond, charged with violating a protection order in an unrelated battery case.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Lawrence becomes first city in Kansas to pass CROWN Act ordinance banning race-based hair discrimination
The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday soundly adopted a local ordinance protecting people from racial discrimination based on hair, making Lawrence the first city in Kansas to do so. “This is huge for our community,” Commissioner Amber Sellers said. “This is huge for our state. This is huge for individuals who live here who are trying to thrive and survive here — that they can balance and feel that they can take their nurtured self and bring it out into the community, unapologetically.” The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” combats race-based hair discrimination in the workplace, schools or other sectors. It specifically targets protections for Black people who have textured hair or wear natural hairstyles, such as curls, locs, braids, twists, afros, bantu knots and more. It also aims to protect Indigenous people and people of color from discrimination based on hair that reflects culture or race.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Municipal Bond Trends for August 14, 2023
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. 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.
Leonardville PRIDE proudly creates fun environment for rural Kansans at annual Hullabaloo celebration
Polished classic cars and vintage tractors lined North Erpelding Street on Saturday, attracting visitors from surrounding communities for the two-day Hullabaloo festival. Just beyond the entrance was another activity took place: the pedal tractor pull. Families stood by, yelling “Go!” and “Push!” in support of their young ones. A theme at the festival was pride. A boy dressed in a black shirt and shorts illustrated this pride as he sprung up off his bike after his pedal tractor pull ride and made his way toward his family. Rylan Hudson, 7, of Riley won first place and celebrated by giving his dad a high five.
Source: themercury.com
Hutchinson Zoo marks opening of new Nature Play expansion and Splash River
The Hutchinson Zoo made a big splash in late July when it officially celebrated the opening of Splash River with a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony. Splash River is part of the zoo’s new Nature Play exhibit, which is a no-cost, safe and welcome place for children and families. The zoo retrofitted the former parking lot into a natural-looking splash river, inclusive play elements and green space. The expansion is adjacent to the North American River Otter Exhibit that opened in the summer of 2020. Zoo officials said the purpose of Splash River is to give children under age 10 a chance to observe, explore and investigate a naturalistic creek bed safely.
Source: Hutch News
Kansans need safer roads. Here are some ideas for changing them.
Today’s pedestrian-unfriendly roadways consist largely of suburban streets that have been turned into straight, flat speedways where drivers race along at speeds approaching those on the freeway, often distracted by their phones. This mix of high speeds, heavier vehicles, and distracted driving terrorizes pedestrians and bicyclists. Proposed ideas include shorter blocks, pedestrian refuge areas, increased use of traffic circles, narrower roads, dedicated bicycle lanes and chicanes — those s-shaped curves also used on racetracks. Money from the bipartisan 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act is available to help fund these improvements.
Source: Hutch News
‘Huge scam’ in rural Kansas town fells fourth U.S. bank in 2023
Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart on July 28 became the fourth U.S. bank to fail in 2023 and the second Kansas bank to fail in three years. David Herndon, Kansas banking commissioner, closed the southwest Kansas bank after it became insolvent because it was “apparently the victim of a huge scam,” he said. Herndon said he doesn’t know what the scam was, but he said other banks in the state were not affected. “Kansas banks are strong and healthy,” he said. “They are well-capitalized, have strong reserves, are profitable and maintain record levels of loan reserves.” Herndon named the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver, allowing the FDIC to take control of the bank’s affairs. The FDIC then brokered a deal for Dream First Bank, National Association of Syracuse, Kansas to take over customers of Heartland Tri-State Bank. On July 31, all four branches of Heartland Tri-State Bank were reopened as branches of Dream First Bank. Herndon said the transfer didn’t result in any disruptions to customers, who were protected from risk of loss.
Source: Kansas Reflector
Overland Park firefighters save truckload of 1,300 piglets
Overland Park firefighters saved the bacon Thursday. A tractor-trailer hauling more than 1,300 piglets to Iowa stalled out with a mechanical issue on northbound U.S. 69 Highway near 151st Street Thursday morning. The driver told police he worried that without air circulation or water, the piglets could die in the heat. The Overland Park Fire Department was called to the scene and spent about 30 minutes spraying water from a fire hose through vents in the trailer, cooling the piglets off. That was enough to preserve the payload until another truck came by to pick up the pigs.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Is Oaklawn Wichita’s forgotten neighborhood?
Andree Sisco’s entry into public service came about when she couldn’t find anyone willing to mow the grass. Sisco moved to Oaklawn, an unincorporated community sandwiched between Wichita and Derby, in 1981. Nestled between the Arkansas River and K-15, Oaklawn sits on 260 acres, a neighborhood hastily built as a quick solution to a wartime housing shortage in 1952. Once “one of the largest housing construction projects in the history of Kansas,” Oaklawn is not recognized as a municipality by the state of Kansas. It has also often lacked other clear markers of community recognition. At the time of her arrival, Sisco says residents were still assigned phone numbers associated with Haysville, a Wichita suburb nearly six miles to the west.
Source: KLC Journal
KBI director on Marion County newspaper raid: Media is not ‘above the law’
The top law enforcement officer in Kansas appeared to justify a Marion County search warrant that led to an unprecedented raid on a local newspaper and potentially contributed to the death of the paper’s co-owner. Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi released a statement Sunday following widespread outrage of Friday’s raid, in which local law enforcement seized computers, cellphones and other reporting materials from the Marion County Record office and publisher Eric Meyer’s home. The raid was part of an investigation into the alleged identity theft of a restaurant owner who had clashed with the paper.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Johnson County Library’s courier trucks get refresh with vibrant new artwork
Johnson County Library’s courier trucks transport materials between the branches and travel countless miles each year, serving as billboards on wheels, with images promoting Library services. The current vinyl wraps were installed on the trucks in 2018, so it’s time for a refresh. This year, three local artists are designing the wraps, bringing their uniquely creative visions to the task and giving each truck a bold and brilliant exterior. “We are asking local artists to interpret what the Library means to them, how the Library impacts the community, and translate that into art,” said marketing specialist Ben Oglesby. “I see it as a moving art installation, where we are showcasing our local Kansas City artists. It’s like a rolling exhibition.”
Source: Prairie Village Post
Great Bend Fire Department saves pets from burning home
The Great Bend Fire Department saved pets from a house fire last weekend. Great Bend Fire made a post on Facebook Friday saying on Aug. 5, around 5:30 a.m., units responded to a report of a structure fire in the 10 block of SE 20 Rd. Once on scene, units found a 1,500-square-foot house with smoke and flames showing from the two-car attached garage. Crews made an aggressive interior attack and were met with high heat, heavy fire and smoke. While searching the residence to make sure the occupants all got out, crews were able to safely remove several family pets from inside the house.
Source: KSN-TV
Dodge City Regional Airport Set for Major Expansion and Remodel
The City of Dodge City is thrilled to announce that the bid for the expansion and remodel of the Dodge City Regional Airport Terminal has been awarded to Icon Structures of Wichita. This expansion is a testament to the efforts and vision of our Commissioner’s leadership, coupled with significant federal support. In March of 2023, the Dodge City Regional Airport was awarded $7.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to go towards remodeling and expanding the existing terminal. This funding stems from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Airport Terminal Program (ATP) Grant.
Source: Western Kansas News