Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Municipal Bond Trends for May 23, 2022

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Fed rate-hike pause in September may ‘make sense,’ Bostic says

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said policy makers could potentially pause interest-rate increases in September after hiking by a half point at each of their next two meetings. “I have got a baseline view where for me I think a pause in September might make sense,” Bostic told reporters Monday following a speech to the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “After we get through the summer and we think about where we are in terms of policy, I think a lot of it will depend on the on-the-ground dynamics that we are starting to see. My motto is observe and adapt.” Bostic repeated that he supports Chair Jerome Powell’s plan to raise rates by a half point at the Federal Open Market Committee meetings in June and July, adding the caveat that an upside surprise on prices could call for more aggressive action. Inflation has been running close to a four-decade high and at rates more than triple the central bank’s 2% target.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Johnson County to vote on $1 million loan for Shawnee affordable housing project this week

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners will vote Thursday on whether to invest $1 million in affordable housing in Shawnee. At last week’s regular meeting, the board was asked by developers for $1 million of community support funds to help construct the Hedge Lane Apartments in Shawnee. The project is a joint venture between Sunflower Development Group and Consolidated Housing Solutions. The apartment complex would have 144 units and be located on Hedge Lane Terrace in Shawnee. If the board approves the loan, units would likely be available to tenants by next spring or summer, Jay Leipzig, director of Planning, Housing and Community Development for Johnson County told The Star.
Source: Joco 913 News

Wichita police officers now carrying Narcan, help stop overdose

“A car pulled in the driver flagged down the sergeant and said ‘help me, my friends dying’.” This was the scene Friday at the patrol west police substation in Wichita. Wichita Police Captain, Travis Rakestraw says a Sargent with the department immediately ran over to the car. He determined that the passenger was overdosing on a fake painkiller, potentially laced with Fentanyl. Rakestraw says that sergeant proceeded to use Narcan on the 20-year-old. “He applied two doses to this individual who within a very short amount of time started to come out of it became responsive and breathing better.” This moment was payoff for new policy WPD put into place last month, supplying some of its patrol officers and supervisors with Narcan.
Source: KAKE – News

Benefit concert held for Andover Tornado relief

Artists and vendors didn’t hesitate to pitch in. “There was no hesitation. We enjoy getting paid at times, but we believe in giving back. All of the bands that are here today are donating their services. We were honored to be asked to assist,” Mike Furches, a musician at the concert said Sunday. “Wichita is a blessed community. We are not the only band here. There are like 12 other bands here. Musicians generally are people that care. We care about the victims. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, but there was loss of property. We want those families in Andover to know that we love and we care for them and we are here to serve them and hopefully raise some money today to provide some for their needs.”
Source: KAKE – News

New Kansas law will let Walmart, Gatik put autonomous vehicles on the road

Autonomous vehicle company Gatik and its customers, including retail giant Walmart, now will be able to put medium-duty driverless delivery vehicles on the road in Kansas after Gov. Laura Kelly’s signing of a bill last week. The law allows fully autonomous trucks — meaning without a human safety driver in the cab — and makes Kansas the 25th state to pass such legislation, Gatik said in a release announcing the expansion of its operations into Kansas. An “autonomous vehicle advisory committee” the law created will launch to provide standards, education and training, Forbes reports. The new statute applies to more than simply Gatik, which is based in Mountain View, California. It covers driverless-capable vehicles less than 34,000 pounds and with just two axles. That means the legislation includes driverless taxis, Forbes reports. The provision limiting the weight and axles expires July 2, 2025.
Source: Kansas City Business News

How one airline leaving small Kansas airports could deal a blow to the state’s rural economy

The COVID-19 pandemic hit air travel hard. The number of canceled flights skyrocketed, airlines hemorrhaged billions in losses and a lack of passengers turned once-bustling airports into ghost towns. For rural airports like the one in Hays — not bustling, but critical in their own way — the shutdowns hurt that much more. At the height of 2020’s stay-at-home orders, just 29 people flew out of Hays Regional Airport in the entire month of April. Time and again, airport director Jamie Salter said, some planes would take off with no passengers at all. “There were some times they’d come and they’d have nobody on,” Salter said. “I hope that’s something we will never see again.”
Source: KCUR News

Public Works held final debris pick up day for tornado victims

It’s been more than three weeks since an EF-3 tornado touched down in Andover and parts of Sedgwick County, destroying many buildings and homes in it’s path. Since that day, it’s been a team effort as volunteers, crews, and city workers work to clean up the devastation. Monday marked the last day the City of Andover and Sedgwick County public works employees were in the areas to pick up debris. For some homeowners in Andover, all that remains is carpet, walls, mattresses, refrigerators, and toilets. Public works employees take what remains to the landfill. “It’s been a lot of work. I know the residents have had a ton of work on their end. There’s been a lot of volunteers,” said Rick Lanzrath, the director of public works for Andover.
Source: KSN-TV

Arma shows why it’s the ‘French Cookie Capital’

Southeast Kansas was keeping tradition alive Sunday with cookies. The Miner’s Hall Museum opened its doors for A Taste of Arma. It’s the second presentation part of the museum’s quarterly exhibit exploring the history of city. Today focused on the history of French cookies in Arma. The original Belgi Galette French cookie iron you see here was replicated in Arma and Pittsburg. It helped the cookie gain popularity within the community, especially during weddings and Christmas. According to today’s presenter Rachelle Mengarelli, this helped make Arma the French cookie capital of Kansas.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Wichita schools will see an increase in lunch prices, but help may be available

The price of school lunch will increase by 25 cents in the Wichita district this fall. USD 259 operations divisions director Fabián Armendáriz said the decision was not made by the district, but at the federal level by the United States Department of Agriculture. “USDA, which oversees school lunch programs, basically states that we need to analyze meal pricing every year in order to remain compliant … Because of increased cost of food, our average cost to produce meals has increased; so we are looking at a 25-cent increase on all levels in order to remain solid and compliant,” Armendáriz said.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Merriam needs 10 property owners’ OK to move forward on $2.6M 55th Street project

The city of Merriam is taking steps to move forward on a $2.6 million project along 55th Street but must first try to gain the approval of some property owners who have yet to sign off on temporary construction easements in the right-of-ways in front of their properties. Why it matters: The long sought after project to improve the 55th Street corridor can’t continue until the city gets all 35 impacted property owners to sign off on temporary construction easements to work in the right-of-ways. Currently, there are 10 property owners that have yet to give the city the green light. If they do not, then the city will have to petition Johnson County District Court to legally acquire the parts of the properties needed to accommodate road work and stage equipment.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Advisory board calls for transparency in Lawrence’s social services funding process

As the City of Lawrence formulates its 2023 budget, some social services leaders and members of an advisory board want more transparency, equity and public engagement in the priority-based budgeting process used to distribute funding for social service agencies. Members of the Special Alcohol Funding Advisory Board (SAFAB) are charged with reviewing requests and making funding recommendations for the special alcohol tax to the Lawrence City Commission. They submitted their annual report to Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay in late April demanding clarity in the process and their role in it. They also want city officials to acknowledge the power differential between the city and social service agencies within the current process.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Hutchinson plant hit with more layoffs, ‘hibernation’ as wind turbine industry faces challenges

An international wind turbine company’s struggles — and overall headwinds the onshore wind industry is facing — are having an impact on south-central Kansas. On Friday, Siemens Gamesa announced its nacelle assembly facility in Hutchison and its blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison, Iowa, will be put into “temporary hibernation” in July and June, respectively, due to what the company called “production demand” issues in the U.S. onshore market. Ninety-two employees in Hutchinson and 171 in Forth Madison are being laid off. “The hibernation of our manufacturing and assembly facilities is an unfortunate but necessary measure to address the current challenges in the U.S. onshore wind market,” said Shannon Sturgil, the company’s CEO of Onshore North America, in a news release. “We continue to pursue new orders and remain fully committed to finding a path in support of our Fort Madison and Hutchinson manufacturing facilities.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Emergency units prepare for major earthquake

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 2.2-magnitude earthquake in South Hutchinson just before 9:24 p.m. Monday, with its epicenter just off West Sixth Avenue and North Broadacres Road. It was the first earthquake recorded in the county since July of last year. Then, at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, local emergency response officials reported another, much larger quake. This one resulted in more than two dozen injuries and was centered at the former Dillon Living Center on the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center campus. The second quake was a scenario created by local emergency response officials to conduct a mass casualty exercise involving more than 100 people from at least a half dozen agencies. It had been scheduled six months in advance.
Source: Hutch News

Salina is preparing to reach 50,000 people

Salina is in a unique place of growth, with employers finding it a great location to bring new industry, with new employees buying and renting houses to a point where the city is in a housing crisis. The population of this city has been close to the 50,000 mark for a while, with many people expecting Salina to reach that mark in the next few years. “For a long time, there’s been community discussion as if 50,000 is the threshold for certain retail and restaurants,” said Salina City Manager Mike Schrage. h Schrage said while that perception is somewhat true, there are other factors that businesses look at, and Salina, as a trade center for the region, can still bring in some of those businesses.
Source: Salina Journal

Municipal Bond Trends for May 20, 2022

Adopt a siren in Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County is looking for people to adopt a siren. The person would be a siren observer for one of 152 outdoor warning sirens in the county. The sirens are tested every Monday at noon, barring holidays, and inclement weather. The county said even with all the technology and two-way communication they still rely on human observation. The county encourages anyone within an eye-shot of a siren to sign up here.
Source: KSN-TV

Muni bonds still have role amid federal infrastructure dollars

Municipal bonds still have a role to play in financing infrastructure despite the billions unleashed by the new federal law and state and local governments that are brimming with cash. “There is of course the need to leverage this money in order to get projects done,” said Patrick Brett, managing director of municipal debt capital markets at Citigroup, during an online briefing on the deployment of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act hosted by the Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research. The $1.2 trillion IIJA includes about $550 billion in new money, which will be spent over the next five years, roughly $100 billion a year, Brett said. Brett is also chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, but was not acting in that capacity.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Recipients of $10 Million Investment Expanding Broadband Access Across Rural Kansas

Governor Laura Kelly today announced the 11 recipients of the Broadband Acceleration Grant program resulting in more than $10 million of investment in high-speed broadband access across 10 rural Kansas counties. “We’re continuing to deliver on our bold and ambitious goal to make Kansas a top 10 state for broadband access by 2030,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Affordable broadband is necessary for our communities to remain viable and competitive, and every Kansan deserves a reliable connection to the world. These grants accelerate our efforts to make that a reality.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Municipal yields fall, following a UST flight-to-safety bid

Municipals were better Friday after catching a bid in the secondary, finally following U.S. Treasuries in a flight-to-quality, while still underperforming, keeping valuations above 100% on the 10- and 30-year. Equities pared back earlier losses to end mixed after the S&P 500 dipped into bear market territory earlier in the session. “The correlation between stocks and U.S. Treasuries is finally starting to normalize,” noted Barclays PLC in a weekly report. “Whereas the two were selling off or rebounding in sync amid higher inflation expectations and a hawkish Fed, over the past several weeks, the relationship has reverted to historical averages, with equities selling off in a risk-off environment while Treasuries rallied.”
Source: The Bond Buyer

Kansas ordered to pay $63 million to former pizza magnate after long dispute on taxes

The state of Kansas must pay former pizza executive Gene Bicknell more than $63 million to settle a long-running dispute over his tax bill. The court ruled on Friday that Bicknell was a Florida resident in 2005 and 2006 when he sold NPC International, which owned more than 800 Pizza Hut locations around the world. The Kansas Department of Revenue argued the Bicknell, a longtime resident of Pittsburg, set up a residence in Florida to avoid paying taxes on the sale to Kansas. In 2010, it ordered him to pay $42 million to the state. The case wound through several courts over the years before being taken up by the state Supreme Court, which sided with Bicknell, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported. “These findings support its legal conclusion that Gene was domiciled in Florida in 2005 and 2006,” Justice K.J. Wall Jr., wrote in the opinion.
Source: KAKE – News

The art of community: How creative contributions can transform a Kansas town

Dear Cindy Crandall, I wanted to congratulate you and your newlywed husband, Doug, on your wedding. It is 1983, The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross just debuted on PBS, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has taken over your radio, and I’m sure that Doug’s hunting for teaching jobs. Be on the lookout for a town called Deerfield. Sure, it’s hours away from your life and family in Salina. The smell … isn’t great. You may think, “Sure, but only for two, maybe three years, tops.” Trust me when I say that in this humble town just west of Garden City, you will be a source of the most enriching “thrills” you can find this side of the Sunflower state.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Golfers tee off to help promote growth in Girard

The rain cleared up just in time for some charity work in Southeast Kansas. The Girard Area Community Foundation’s second annual charity golf tournament teed off at Crawford Hills Golf Course this morning. The event is meant to help offset the cost of operations for the foundation, and in turn provide more grants to local non-profits to help promote long term growth in the area. According to foundation president Zach Adams, the tournament raised five thousand dollars its first year.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Comprehensive plan virtual open house available through June 2

County residents who did not attend the Miami County Comprehensive Plan open house May 17 in Paola have an opportunity to review the plan online. A virtual public open house is available from Thursday, May 19, to Thursday, June 2, on the project’s website: www.miamicountyksplan.com. The public can access the plan anytime during that two-week period. The virtual open house provides an opportunity to view the draft plan concepts and ideas and provide input on the county’s future, according to a news release from the county’s Planning and Zoning Department.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Drive carefully, buckle up: Kansas law enforcement agencies focus on traffic enforcement

Kansas drivers should expect increased police presence starting Sunday, as state and local law enforcement agencies focus on enforcing seat belt and child restraint laws. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Wichita Police Department will join the Kansas Highway Patrol and around 160 other law enforcement agencies in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign. The effort will run through June 2 for police, June 3 for KHP and June 4 for sheriff’s deputies. Wichita has had 19 traffic fatalities so far this year and most could have been prevented if people would have worn seat belts, said Trevor Macy, a public information officer with the Wichita Police Department.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Abilene receives grant to make world’s largest belt buckle

Have you ever seen the world’s largest belt buckle? If the answer is no, then just wait; Abilene will have it on display soon. On May 19, Governor Laura Kelly announced the 11 recipients of the Kansas Tourism Attraction Development Grants, one of which was the town of Abilene which received $22,000 to create the world’s largest belt buckle. “Tourism is the welcoming committee for new residents and businesses in our state,” Kelly said. “By continuing to develop vibrant travel destinations across Kansas, we are opening the door to more revenue and new economic growth in communities of all sizes.”
Source: KSNT 27 News

Here are the arguments both sides made in JoCo ‘dark store’ theory case at KS Supreme Court

Kansas Supreme Court justices began the process of disentangling legal arguments Thursday on the “dark store” theory of appraisals – a complex issue that could have big ramifications for county, city and school board budgets down the road. The case is an appeal by Johnson County of a lower court decision validating the state tax appeal board’s ruling that the county had overvalued 11 Walmart and Sam’s Club properties in 2016 and 2017, resulting in too high a tax bill.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Manhattan and Riley County commissions to consider food master plan

Local governments will consider a plan to reduce hunger, invest in locally grown food and reduce food waste. The food and farm council presented an overview of a food master plan to city and county commissioners Thursday at a joint meeting of the Manhattan and Riley County commissions. Riley County will consider adopting the item on June 9, and the city commission on June 21. The Food and Farm Council began working with New Venture Advisors almost a year ago, starting with research and goal setting. They then conducted community engagement and surveys to identify key findings, draft action steps and create the plan.
Source: themercury.com

Riley County approves evaluation for adult drug court

Riley County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement between Riley County Community Corrections and K-State’s sociology, anthropology and social work department to evaluate the adult drug court program. The U.S. Department of Justice gave the county a four-year grant on Dec. 9 to establish the adult drug court. Part of the grant requirement is to have an evaluation plan that includes strategies to collect, review and use data to better program performance. According to meeting documents, $60,000 of the $550,000 grant will go to K-State to help with the evaluation.
Source: themercury.com

Seven artists are painting murals live in Salina

As people come to downtown Salina this week they may notice work in progress on large pieces of art in the parking lot at 140 S. Fifth St. The city has invited artists from Kansas and surrounding states to take part in the Artwork Alley Mural Expo ’22. The Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC), a part of the Kansas Department of Commerce, along with some funding by the National Endowment of the Arts awarded a grant to the Salina Arts and Humanities for murals. “It was funded to support the Make A Mark Mural initiative,” said Anna Pauscher Morawitz, the operations and development manager for Salina Arts and Humanities.
Source: Salina Journal

Abbyville Frontier Days PRCA Rodeo celebrates 60 years in the community

Six decades ago, the Abbyville Frontier Days PRCA Rodeo began as a small event during the last weekend before school ended. Over the decades, it grew to include the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, or PRCA, and thousands of attendees. Abbyville Rodeo production manager and arena director Bronc Rumford said more than 200 contestants would compete at the rodeo this year. “We’ll have some kids from all over the country, but we usually have a couple of international competitors from Canada or Australia. They come from everywhere,” Rumford said.
Source: Hutch News

Municipal Bond Trends for May 19, 2022

Russell – Where generations care for each other

Russell is more than just the hometown of Senator Bob Dole and a Main Street City. It is a community of 4,400 people who take care of each other. Part of the city’s vision is to be “a community that is truly dedicated to family, friends and neighbors where generations care for each other.” Russell is doing just that with its recent parks project completed in April 2022 with the assistance of a Community Development Block Grant. Katrina Woelk serves as the Finance Director and Treasurer for the City of Russell and has also been the local champion for the CDBG parks project. In addition to her daily city duties, Katrina has been putting together an asset management plan for Russell. This plan outlines the assets of the community and determines how those assets can be leveraged to address the greatest needs of the community.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
For assistance with grants and federal funding, please contact Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.

County starts planning how to pay for new jail

County commissioners started crunching numbers Monday as they began to look at a funding package for a new jail. Commissioners reviewed fund balances and looked at a list of commitments they have made for the federal American Recovery Plan Act funds that must be committed by 2024. They also discussed what type of cash balance they wanted to maintain for the county general fund moving forward.
Source: The Marysville Advocate

Governor signs bill paying off more than $1 billion of KPERS debts

Governor Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 421, that transfers more than $1 billion from the State General Fund to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). Senate Bill 421 will provide immediate and long-term benefits to the state by eliminating debt from the state’s balance sheets and reducing future employer contributions. “Balancing the budget, paying off debt and providing financial relief for Kansans has always been my top priority – and today we delivered on that promise,” Governor Kelly said. “We’re fixing the damage done to KPERS because our public service employees and retirees deserve their retirement fund to be replenished after the previous administration skipped payments to cover reckless tax policy.” SB 421 will provide immediate and long-term benefits to the state by reducing the debt owed to the fund and further enhancing the state’s historic financial strength.
Source: The Sabetha Herald

New law strengthens Kansas election security

Secretary of State Scott Schwab commended the signing of election security legislation that he proposed earlier this year. The bill is one of the most significant election reform measures since Kansas adopted Voter ID in 2011. It will further strengthen state election law and provide voters with additional assurances regarding the security and integrity of Kansas elections. The bill makes the following improvements to the states already rigorous election laws: Election Equipment Security: Prohibits counties from using voting equipment that has the capability of being connected to the internet, requires the Secretary of State to certify electronic pollbooks, and establishes a deadline for counties to perform post-election tabulator tests. …
Source: The Sabetha Herald

Kelly administration working to ‘expedite relief’ from infant formula shortage

Kansas’ state agencies are working with the federal government to “expedite relief” from the ongoing infant formula shortage, Gov. Laura Kelly’s office said Thursday. Kelly said in a statement that she has directed state agencies to “do everything in their power” to help Kansas families impacted by the shortage. “From increasing flexibility to helping eliminate barriers at check-out, my Administration is doing what is within our power to ease the impact of the national infant formula shortage on Kansas Families,” the governor said. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will be the point of contact for the White House and federal agencies “to help coordinate efforts and eliminate red tape,” Kelly’s office said. The state agency has also approved “a series of waivers” to allow for more infant formula production in the state.
Source: Atchison Globe Now

Johnson County considers $1M loan to support affordable housing project in Shawnee

Johnson County could soon be investing in a new affordable housing complex in Shawnee. Next week the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will consider issuing a $1 million loan to support the construction of the Hedge Lane Apartments. The apartment complex is a joint venture between Sunflower Development Group and Consolidated Housing Solutions. The developers intend to create a 144-unit apartment complex near 75th Street and K-7 Highway in Shawnee. Because of rising inflation and additional costs for labor and materials, developers are seeking out a loan to cover a gap in project funding. If approved, the loan from the county would cover roughly 3% of the $30.5 million project.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Kansas prepares to distribute $69 million in federal small business economic aid

Kansas is in line to receive as much as $69 million in additional federal support for small business development and entrepreneurship through a U.S. Treasury Department program used to support companies through the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan expanded the State Small Business Credit Initiative, or SSBCI, established in 2010 to assist businesses following the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. The goal is to improve access to capital in rural and other traditionally underserved communities. States participating in SSBCI operate under the expectation each would generate business lending at least 10 times the amount of federal aid.
Source: The Miami County Republic

Lawrence city leaders say they are ready for city to expand into area west of Kansas Highway 10

Lawrence city leaders say they are ready for the city to expand beyond its longtime border along Kansas Highway 10, and some are even interested in expediting that process by requiring areas to join the city instead of waiting for property owners to opt in. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission received a presentation on a study of the infrastructure and service needs — anticipated to cost more than $100 million — to add an area generally west of K-10 to the city’s boundaries. A few commissioners explicitly said they were interested in moving forward with those plans and prioritizing westward growth, rather than in another area, and Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said the city should consider requiring certain areas to join the city, a process called annexation.
Source: LJWorld

Douglas County leaders OK local matching funds for SLT expansion; Lawrence and county are slated to contribute nearly $14M

Douglas County leaders on Wednesday granted their approval to commit millions of dollars in local funding, in partnership with the City of Lawrence, toward the future expansion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. The Douglas County Commission voted unanimously to send a letter to the Kansas Department of Transportation indicating the county’s willingness to match a portion of the $124,000,000 cost for what KDOT refers to as the “-03 project.” The project would widen the highway from two lanes to four lanes between Iowa Street and the Kansas Turnpike interchange. The Lawrence City Commission made its portion of the pledge on Tuesday. With the commitment from both the city and the county, KDOT will be able to move the project into its construction pipeline for a potential 2024 start.
Source: LJWorld

Evergy to rethink plans to install towering power poles in two Wichita neighborhoods

Evergy is taking a step back from plans to erect new towering power poles that would run through Wichita’s Midtown and Riverside neighborhoods after community backlash to the proposal. The existing transmission line, built in the 1950s, runs south from 17th Street and Emporia to 11th Street and Jefferson. A second phase of the rebuild would continue south down Nims to Central, near the Keeper of the Plains. Vocal residents have banded together to express their displeasure for the proposed power poles, which they characterize as eyesores that could inflict permanent aesthetic harm on their neighborhoods.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Wichita is home to four of the country’s top-ranked pro pickleball players

Wichita is home to four professional pickleball players — all of whom are ranked in the top 10 nationally and are a big deal in the sport. That’s unusual for a town of Wichita’s size, and their residency adds to the city’s pickleball cache. Meet Wichita’s four resident pros, all of whom played tennis in college…
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Could Wichita be the country’s best city for pickleball?

In the late 1990s, a small group of senior citizens in Wichita picked up a paddle sport with a funny name: Pickleball. … Now, 25 years later, pickleball is a serious business across the nation and especially in Wichita — and not just for seniors. The relish and gherkin puns have stopped as thousands of locals, both young and old, have taken up the sport, an incredibly social and relatively easy-to-master combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton. The game, which can be played with singles or doubles, uses ping pong-like paddles and holey plastic balls. The plunk of paddles hitting balls is pickleball’s signature sound.
Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article261253602.html#storylink=cpySource: Wichita Eagle