Municipal News & Jobs

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

Wichita Police say new technology is helping them reach shooting scenes quicker — and it’s already making a difference. The Raven gunshot detection system uses sensors to pinpoint the location of gunfire. Deputy Chief of Investigations Paul Duff said it recently reduced officers’ response time by three minutes.
Read more: KSN-TV

A memorial scholarship has been established in honor of a Kansas sheriff’s deputy who died in the line of duty. The Colby Community College Endowment Foundation and the family of Brandon Gaede have established the Brandon Gaede Memorial Scholarship. Gaede died in late June following an exchange of gunfire with a suspect he was taking into custody during an investigation into the illegal discharge of explosives.
Read more: KSN-TV

In just three days, the Hutchinson Fire Department raised $55,757.43 during its annual School Supply Drive to help students in Reno County. Now in its seventh year, the drive teams firefighters with local teachers to identify school supply needs. Firefighters collect donations outside local stores, then sort and deliver supplies to schools. This year, 34 schools — including public, private, and alternative — will receive supplies on August 6 and 7.
Read more: KSN-TV

Iolans came together Tuesday evening to share ideas on how to overcome barriers and promote growth in the community. The Iola High School cafeteria was buzzing with ideas and optimism at Thrive Allen County’s “Community Conversation” Tuesday evening. Iolans pulled up chairs, rolled up their sleeves, and got down to business discussing opportunities for growth and how to overcome obstacles.
Read more: The Iola Register

More than 20 public commenters railed against Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday night for approving a camera integration program the city rolled out last month without public input. The police department announced the Axon Fusus program last month. It has two components, including an option for residents to register their security cameras with the police and an integration option allowing businesses to purchase a custom device and subscription enabling the police department live access to camera feeds. Experts have said the program constitutes a violation of community privacy. Commenters brought up a host of concerns Tuesday, including data security, environmental impacts, AI errors and privacy protections.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The Pottawatomie County Commission’s decision to approve a conditional use permit for a rock quarry in the north-central part of the county was affirmed Friday by the Kansas Court of Appeals.
The quarry sits on a portion of an 853-acre plot, just over one and a half miles south of Wheaton. Mid-States Materials is requesting a permit for a rock quarry on six tracts of land approximately a half mile west of Wheaton Road. The tract sits inside a boundary created by Reves Road, Belleville Road and Clear Creek Road.
Read more: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

The Finney County Commission approved a resolution for a half-cent sales tax election at its regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 4. Gary Meagher, Interim County Administrator, said the resolution calls for a special election to submit a question to the county’s electors about imposing a half-cent sales tax to finance the construction, furnishing and equipping of a new jail and remodeling of the Finney County Law Enforcement Center, authorizing bonds to finance the costs and giving notice of the election, which will be on Nov. 4.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

The City of Sedgwick could soon be posting most of its legal notices, ordinances, and other official city documents on its website instead of the newspaper. The suggestion came from City Administrator Kyle Nordick, who introduced the idea during a city council workshop on Wednesday evening as a way to reduce the budget. Nordick said that from 2018 to 2025, Sedgwick has spent approximately $10,187 in publishing fees. He said the fees fluctuate based on the length of the notice and the requirements of publishing.
Read more: Harvey County Now

In less than a year, the eyes of the world will be on Arrowhead Stadium for the World Cup soccer tournament. A total of six games will be played at Arrowhead, bringing thousands of soccer fans from across the globe to Kansas City. But outlying areas are also trying to get in on the action.
Read more: News

Voters in Maize overwhelmingly approved a one-cent sales tax Tuesday. The unofficial vote was 241 to 124. The sales tax is to take effect Jan. 1 and last until 2036. It will add to existing state and county sales taxes — 6.5% from Kansas and 1% from Sedgwick County — for a total tax of 8.5% on purchases of goods or services in the city of Maize.
Read more: Homepage

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $10.4 million will be invested in critical broadband initiatives through the Advancing Digital Opportunities to Connect Kansans (ADOPT) program. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development will partner with 18 organizations across the state to connect Kansans to high-speed internet by making public Wi-Fi accessible and distributing devices in underserved areas.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

According to a news release, the finalists are Darrin Tangeman, of Orleans, Massachusetts; Michael Tremblay, of Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; and Jacob Wood, of Salina.
Read more: City of Salina.

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.

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.

As summer winds down and school looms around the corner, a quick little jaunt into Cherokee County may be the perfect daytrip, especially for area history buffs. Baxter Springs is a quiet little town today, but it has played a significant role in Kansas history for more than two centuries. After the Osage were driven from the Ohio River Valley by the Iroquois in the mid-1600s, they moved west into Kansas. Adopting traditions common to Plains tribes, by the 1750s, the Osage became the dominant nation in eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and western Missouri.
Read more: – Latest Stories

USD 246 is in rare company for a district that serves approximately 500 students, recognized alongside much larger school districts such as Hesston USD 460, Hutchinson USD 308, Piper USD 203, Shawnee Mission School District and Wichita Public Schools for its efforts in providing pathways for students beyond high school. The Northeast School District recently received recognition for its efforts with its Individual Plans of Study (IPS), offering kids a roadmap to explore potential pathways post-secondary.
Read more: – Latest Stories