Kansas Municipal News
Five rural Kansas museums to participate in ‘History Makers: The Future is Now’ initiative
Humanities Kansas announces the five Kansas museums participating in “History Makers: The Future is Now,” an innovative statewide strategic planning initiative for rural museums from Humanities Kansas. Inspired by American’s 250th, “History Makers” recognizes the importance of local history in telling America’s stories. Franklin County Historical Society in Ottawa; Lincoln County Historical Society in Lincoln; Miners Hall Museum in Franklin; Scott County Historical Society in Scott City; and Wabaunsee County Historical Society in Alma; were selected through a competitive process to participate in the year-long initiative. As part of “History Makers,” the five museums will participate in statewide and local meetings with Carla Patterson, a nonprofit cultural consultant specializing in rural museums, and create a plan with tools to address the needs ahead.
Read more: Dodge City Daily Globe
Homeowner cashes in on World Cup with short-term rental
As the countdown to the World Cup in Kansas City continues, business owners, cities, and others around the metro are looking for ways to capitalize on the economic boost it’s expected to bring. Some homeowners plan to list their homes as short-term rentals this summer, including John Buschmann, who is preparing to list his Olathe home as a short-term rental for World Cup visitors. “It’s going to be a financial boom for the entire city from restaurants, bars, nightly rentals, hotels, all that. It’s going to be great for the city, and I’m hoping to capitalize on that too,” Buschmann said. “When they decided to bring the World Cup here, it was kind of a no-brainer to at least look into it [Listing a short-term rental]. As we’re getting closer, we’re really starting to see what revenue looks like,” Buschmann said. The company Buschmann is listing with estimates that his short-term rental property could bring in tens of thousands of dollars, ranging from $40,000 to $60,000.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV
‘The numbers are just not credible’: Kansas used flawed math to estimate economic impact of Chiefs relocation, experts say
Monica Curls still remembers being about 10 years old waiting around after Chiefs home games to get autographs from players on the team. Curls said her family has had season tickets since 2007. They also had season tickets in the 1970s when the Chiefs first moved into the Arrowhead Stadium, but those seats weren’t as good so the family got rid of their season tickets. They kept showing up for games, though. The Chiefs have announced plans to leave Missouri after getting more than $2 billion in incentives from Kansas. The team is expected to build a stadium in Wyandotte County and a mixed-used development in Olathe with a practice facility and team headquarters. Kansas has offered to finance 60% of the multi-billion dollar project, or $1.8 billion in bonds for the stadium and another $1 billion in bonds for other projects. One economist says this is the largest public subsidy of a professional sports stadium in American history. And Kansas did this to entice fans like Curls, and all the generations of her family, to spend their money in Kansas instead of Missouri.
Read more: Johnson County Post
Harvest hubs taking root across Kansas
During the growing season, bees, butterflies, and buyers swarm to the rippling strips of lavender on Rick and Ingrid Elam’s farm near Winfield. “It’s pretty amazing to watch all the bees and the moths and the butterflies and all the pollinators in there,” Rick Elam says. “A lot of people just take pictures of them as they go.” The Elams have two acres of lavender and 30 bee hives, from which they derive 32 products. But they’re thinking bigger these days, thanks to the launch of the Border Queen Harvest Hub in nearby Caldwell: a commercial kitchen that can increase their product line. A harvest hub is a community-based operation that brings together producers, processors and distributors of local food. Those products can, in turn, be purchased locally, regionally, and nationally. The hub “helped quite a bit in getting our name out there,” Rick Elam says. “Now it’s up to us to fine-tune the products that we have and get those in the hands of the people that want them.” Recently launched hubs in Sumner, Sedgwick and Rice counties are thriving. A thriving food network in McCune, about 150 miles east of Wichita, is touted as an example for sparsely populated sectors of the state to emulate.
Read more: KLC Journal
Wichita City Council debates sales tax guardrails
Wichita voters head to the polls to weigh in on a proposed 1% sales tax in five weeks. If approved, the expected $850 million in revenue would be divvied up into five different categories. City staff presented several kinds of guardrails to the Wichita City Council on Tuesday. These rules would govern how the funds from the sales tax would be collected, distributed, and spent. The biggest funding commitment is restoring and expanding the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center. Money would also be spent on public safety, property tax relief, housing and homeless services and a new downtown performing arts center.
Read more: KSN-TV
What a weekend: Oxford experiences an electrical outage and a waterline break during the coldest weekend of year
Ever have one of those weekends? Maybe you should ask the same question to the whole Oxford community. In a 12-hour span from late Friday evening to early Saturday morning in subarctic zero conditions, the Oxford community experienced not only an electrical outage but also a water break. Today, Oxford is operating at 100 percent after the Kansas Department of Health and Environment lifted a boil-water advisory this morning. The trouble started at 5 p.m. Friday evening when the lights went out in Oxford. The temperature was 7 degrees, with a wind chill of -14. At 7:48 p.m., short of three hours, power was restored. Oxford residents, like the rest of Sumner County, planned to spend the rest of the weekend hunkered down as the storm blew through. When Oxford residents woke up the next morning, many residents noticed that little to no water was coming out of their faucets. Oxford utility workers immediately headed north of town to the town wells and saw something they hadn’t expected — a newly formed lake that wasn’t frozen. “We have never had any problem with the water line before,” said Shannon Brister, Oxford City Clerk. “I would say this was the largest water leak in Oxford history.”
Read more: Sumner NewsCow
Businesses, city working to attract World Cup visitors
An estimated 650,000 visitors are expected to visit northeast Kansas and Kansas City in June and July, and businesses and the city are working to attract those visitors to Eudora. The 2026 World Cup is coming to the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Kansas City set to host six matches from June 16 to July 11. FIFA World Cup KC estimated that communities within a 200-mile radius will see an influx in tourism, according to previous reporting, Jason Musick, owner of Barbwire Barbecue and a Conventions and Visitors Bureau member, said his business is waiting on what team, if any, decides to stay in Lawrence. FIFA highlighted Lawrence as a potential base camp for countries playing in the tournament, but final camp assignments will be released by the end of January. If a team chooses Lawrence, they will stay at the Oread Hotel and practice at Rock Chalk Park, according to Lawrence2026.com.
Read more: The Eudora Times
City outlines potential cuts if sales tax rejected
During last week’s Hutchinson City Council budget workshop regarding the potential impacts if the proposed 0.75% sales tax increase is voted down March 3, Hutchinson Fire Department Chief Steven Beer asked, “What level of service do you want?” While it will ultimately be up to council members decide how to balance the budget if voters reject the sales tax increase of which Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas said, “It just makes our expense and revenue lines match,” at last week’s Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce State of the City breakfast, below are potential cuts city department heads offered up to the council as impacts to their departments if the worst case scenario happens.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune
Flag mural planned for U.S. 250th
Funding for a community-built America 250 Patriot’s Flag mural mosaic was approved Monday night by Marysville City Council. April Spicer, who spoke on behalf of OneMarysville, said the goal is to unveil the mural on the Fourth of July. In the written request, OneMarysville executive director Wayne Kruse wrote, “This project is designed to strengthen the visitor experience. It creates a new, Marysville-specific attraction that can be promoted year round. It adds a strong visual element for downtown and event photography and it gives us a tangible America250 feature that can be highlighted in tourism marketing and during major community weekends like the Fourth of July.”
Read more: www.marysvilleonline.net
Municipal Bond Trends for January 28, 2026
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.
Commerce Awards Over $4 Million in CDBG Grants to Kansas Communities
More than $4.1 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding has been awarded for 12 projects across Kansas. The investments will strengthen infrastructure, housing and economic opportunities in rural and low- to moderate-income communities. The 12 awardees will receive a total of $4,125,316 in federal funds, which was matched by $9,158,623 in local investments. The result was a combined total of $12,283,939 to be used for public improvements in communities across the state.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce
Commerce Launches Grant to Support Innovation, Incubator Spaces in Small Communities
The Downtown Revive & Thrive: Rehabilitation for Innovation and Incubator Spaces program has a total of $500,000 available in funding for Kansas communities with populations of 5,000 or less for projects that result in functional business incubator spaces or facilities designed for temporary retail or restaurant operations. The program is designed to support projects that repurpose existing infrastructure to create spaces and provide equipment for pop-up retail and restaurants that drive economic growth and contribute vibrancy to communities.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce
Fed holds key interest rate steady as economic view improves
Meeting market expectations, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee voted to keep its key interest rate in a range between 3.5%-3.75%. The decision put a halt to three consecutive quarter percentage point reductions, billed as maintenance moves to guard against potential downturns in the labor market.
Read more: CNBC
A Municipal Debt Boom Is Driving Public Projects and Tax Breaks for Investors
Borrowing in the municipal bond market surpassed $500 billion last year, breaking the $498 billion record set in 2024. The “muni market” is now worth well over $4 trillion, roughly equivalent to the market capitalization of Nvidia, the chip maker that has soared on the artificial intelligence boom, driving stocks to record highs.
Read more: NYT Business
Municipal Bond Trends for January 27, 2026
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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 26, 2026
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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 23, 2026
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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 22, 2026
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.
Then and Now: City of Green
The town of Green received its name in 1868 when Governor Nehemiah Green offered to buy a bell for the first Methodist Church to be established in a town named Green. The people of the area placed the name on their area, and the Governor made good on his promise.
Read more: KCLY Radio
Proposal to move local elections to even-numbered years draws scrutiny
Clay Barker, general counsel for the Secretary of State’s office, said during a hearing that combining elections would “exponentially increase” the number of ballot versions printed, to account for the boundary lines of small offices, such as school board seats and drainage districts. He also said the ballots would be much longer, costing more to print and leading to longer lines at the polls as voters take more time to fill them out.
Read more: The Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for January 21, 2026
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.
Wiseman takes long road to Bentley
It took her longer than she planned, but Jamie Wiseman is realizing her dream come true as Bentley’s newest police officer. Growing up, Wiseman watched her mom (postmaster) and dad (mechanic) don a uniform every morning and work hard for their family, so she thought that’s what she would do. She picked a police officer. In 2021, she attended the Citizens Police Academy in Wichita and began volunteering for events throughout the year. In 2023, she attended the Wichita Police Academy, where she qualified on handguns and shotguns, the tools on her duty belt, and completed the case law, among other items. She considered working in her hometown of Spearville but didn’t want to drive four hours for each shift, so she began emailing local small-town departments. Bentley Police Chief James “Tim” Bryan was the only one who had a position open and was interested in hiring part-time. He said the agency has had female officers in the past. “I felt that the addition of another woman would be a value-add for our small department,” Bryan said. “Her upbringing in a town of comparable size, her living in proximity to Bentley, being a mother, and her passion to serve were all considerations.”
Read more: Harvey County Now
KC Chiefs’ sprawling STAR bond district covers much of JoCo. Questions loom about how it will work.
Now that the news of the Kansas City Chiefs’ move from Arrowhead Stadium to a new facility in Kansas has begun to sink in, many Kansans are reflecting on the tax incentive package used to get them here, say some state lawmakers. As the Kansas Legislature geared up for the session opening this week, members of the state Legislative Budget Committee said they have been flooded with constituent questions about the particulars of the Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bonds that will make up a significant portion of the funding. Legislators passed those questions on to a representative of the state Department of Commerce last week. Not all of the questions could be immediately answered, because final elements of the stadium location and property ownership are yet to be worked out.
Read more: Johnson County Post
County discusses tax rebates
On a lot of minds lately is the large jump in property taxes for 2026. County resident Roger Lomshek has been making the rounds among the county commission, USD 250 Board of Education, and the Pittsburg City Commission trying to convince them to reopen their 2026 budgets and possibly offer a rebate to taxpayers. USD 250 flatly refused. Crawford County and Pittsburg have been discussing the issue. At Tuesday night’s city commission meeting, Pittsburg commissioners agreed to investigate whether it is legal to reopen and redo the budget and explore possible options.
Read more: -Morning Sun
Revamped program to streamline training time for new Hesston Police officers
A year of hard work has paid off. Captain Steven Dryzmalla of the Hesston Police Department completed a year-long Law Enforcement Leadership Academy through the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and the University of Kansas. To complete the course, Dryzmalla had to complete a capstone project, and he did exactly that. Dryzmalla has been working for HPD since 2011. The course was for command staff and above, usually lieutenant and above. Dryzmalla said the class covered topics from leadership to budgeting, to even working on recruitment or retention and a succession plan. The course even covered how to present projects to governing bodies.
Read more: Harvey County Now
Ahead of cold snap, county gives Lenexa shelter funds to get hotel rooms for people without shelter
Although Lenexa officials last year approved an over 66% increase in the number of places available at Project 1020, the county’s only cold-weather homeless shelter, the facility at the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church has been full to overflowing every day this season since it opened Dec. 1, say organizers. On Thursday, advocates for people without housing asked for and got help from county commissioners in the form of funding of up to $25,000 for vouchers for hotel or motel stays — at negotiated rates — to help those residents who get to the shelter after it fills up. The funding is intended to last through March 31, after which the shelter closes for the season.
Read more: Johnson County Post
Stray cats scratch at Hillsboro’s patience
Hillsboro is fielding increasing complaints about feral and stray cats damaging property and straining relations between neighbors. But city administrator Matt Stiles told city council members Tuesday that the city has limited capacity to respond. Police mainly deal with stray dogs. Stray cats and other small animals are handled with live traps lent to residents and a local resident who helps on a case-by-case basis, he said.
Read more: Marion County RECORD
Moratorium on battery storage systems delayed
County commissioners Tuesday delayed a decision on imposing a moratorium on commercial battery energy storage systems to add language proposed by Commissioner Clarke Dirks offering reasons for the moratorium. County counsel Brad Jantz, who was not at the meeting, drafted the same resolution for Harvey County but did not include rationale mentioned by Dirks. Dirks said data centers and battery storage used tremendous amounts of energy.
Read more: Marion County RECORD
Hospital district considering election changes
St. Luke Hospital is considering whether to change how hospital board elections are conducted. “We have historically pretty low participation in our elections from the general public, unless there’s something controversial going on,” chief executive Alex Haines said. Elections are conducted during the hospital district’s annual meeting in May.
Read more: Marion County RECORD
Hutchinson City Council approves STAR bond project
The Hutchinson City Council is taking the next steps toward renovating some of the city’s most iconic structures. The council unanimously approved a STAR bond project plan Tuesday evening after holding a public hearing. The proposal uses sales tax revenue to improve three key sites in hopes of drawing more tourists to Hutchinson. “What is helpful about STAR bonds is that it allows municipalities to make investments into our community into those attractions that, in turn, will bring in more visitors,” Dave Sotelo, Hutchinson’s director of strategic growth, said in an interview with KSN before the City Council meeting. The STAR bond is expected to fund renovations to Memorial Hall and the Landmark Apartments, as well as major upgrades at the Cosmosphere.
Read more: KSN-TV
Amazon opens new facility in Wichita suburb
A new Amazon facility is up and running in the Wichita area. Last week, the company opened a last-mile facility in Bel Aire that has about 150 employees, plus more than 130 drivers for the delivery service partners. The location is about the size of three football fields, according to Amazon.
Read more: KSN-TV
Baking facility to bring economic growth, new jobs to Goodland
Golden Waves Grain announced it plans to build a baking production facility in Goodland, bringing about 140 new jobs to the city. The facility will house grain milling operations and a large-scale commercial bakery under one roof. Tony Adams, the CEO of Golden Waves Grain, says Goodland is the perfect place for the project because of the city’s access to hard red winter wheat. “We may ask some of the farmers who are investors to look at some different types of wheat that would coordinate with the hard red winter wheat that we’re growing, or expand on some of the hard red winter wheat, so that’s a possibility, but right now the wheat that they grow is one of the reasons we have put this project in Goodland,” Adams said. He said the company will need about 2 million bushels of wheat each year, and the Goodland area produces about 65 million.
Read more: KSN-TV
Property tax exemptions costing local, state government more than $1 billion, audit says
Real property tax exemptions cost local and state governments more than $1 billion in forgone tax revenue during 2024, a new state audit reports. Acknowledging that their conclusions should be interpreted as rough estimates because they rely on significant assumptions, state auditors reported that local government lost a $1 billion in revenue and the state didn’t collect $12 million in property tax revenue. The auditors noted that just a few of those exemptions are were for economic development projects. The auditors found that between 6% and 42% of Kansas counties’ real property was exempt. Eighty three of the state’s 105 counties had 20% or less of their real property exempt from property taxes. The audit estimated that $54 billion, or about 15%, of the $366 billion in appraised property values across Kansas have been exempted from real property taxes. There are seven broad categories for real property tax exemptions in Kansas, including those for the government, education, public service and nonprofits, energy and utilities, economic development and agriculture and other that don’t fit neatly into a category.
Read more: Sunflower State Journal
Property tax cap moves to full Senate
A proposal capping property tax assessments moved out of Senate committee on Wednesday as the Legislature takes its first steps toward addressing property taxes ahead of this year’s elections. The Senate tax committee approved a constitutional amendment that would cap the taxable assessed property value at 3% with several limited exceptions, including new construction or improvements and if there is an error calculating the tax assessment. The cap would transfer if the property is sold or transferred. For tax year 2027, the final taxable assessed values hall not increase by more than 3% compared to the assessed value of the property for tax year 2022. The amendment, if approved by two-thirds of the Legislature, would have to be ratified by Kansas voters during this year’s primary election on Aug. 4. The amendment is an attempt to respond to constituent complaints about rising property taxes, something lawmakers addressed nominally last year but couldn’t agree on a broader proposal to hold down property taxes.
Read more: Sunflower State Journal
New planner wants to guide city through growth
The city’s new full-time planner will look to guide a slew of developments around town as they move from blueprints to buildings. Kyle Kobe is in his first weeks as the new city planner, but he has experience working with Eudora thanks to his time at Professional Engineering Consultants, where the city was one of his major clients. Kobe, who lives in Olathe, is originally from Edwardsville and has spent nearly his whole life in Kansas. He said growing up he often found his mind wandering to how cities were laid out and fit together, which pushed him to pursue a graduate degree in urban planning from KU. “I drove through all these towns, and I just found myself thinking, ‘Why is that there and not there?’” he said. “At the time, I was looking for, you know, what is my calling? I kind of just took a leap like, ‘Hey, this seems like the right thing for me,’ and it’s worked out ever since.” He hopes he can leverage those skills to help Eudora during a period of growth.
Read more: The Eudora Times
Greeley school to close
In a 4-3 vote, USD 365 school board members decided Jan. 13 to close Greeley Elementary School, the Anderson County Review reported. The vote came after a Jan. 8 contentious public hearing, where board members were accused of having already made up their minds to shutter the school despite public comments to the contrary, the Review said. Board member Robert Shilling, Westphalia, said he spent time visiting with Greeley residents about the issue. Shilling said the overriding sentiment was that their opinions were not valued, the Review reported. The board’s decision sets in motion a plan outlined by Ryan Most, superintendent of schools, to close the school effective at the end of this school year, restaging the 43 students in Greeley to Garnett Elementary School. Superintendent Most said that 51 percent of Greeley Elementary’s K-6 students currently live in Garnett. The superintendent projected that continuing enrollment declines in USD 365 for the 2026-2027 school year will result in a districtwide loss of $242,000 in state aid.
Read more: The Iola Register
County launches alert system
Allen County has launched a new emergency alert system, Genasys, replacing CodeRED with a cheaper, more customizable platform for public safety notifications. Allen County residents now receive emergency notifications through a new alert system, Genasys, following the county’s transition away from the long-used CodeRED platform. County commissioners unanimously approved the change in August 2025, with the new system officially going live Oct. 1. CodeRED remained active during the transition period and was fully discontinued on Jan. 3. The switch was made at the request of Allen County Emergency Management Director Jason Trego, who said the new system offers improved functionality at a lower cost. Trego noted that the county maintained both systems briefly to ensure continuity of service.
Read more: The Iola Register
Projected electricity usage expected to strain Kansas grid unless transmission, generation added
Projected increases in electricity load growth are as high as 99% by 2035, a data point that pushed regional energy regulators to create a plan to stabilize and expand grid capacity and transmission, a legislative committee learned Thursday. Part of that process includes building a controversial transmission line that will travel through four Kansas counties. Justin Grady, director of utilities for the Kansas Corporation Commission, told the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee that a proposed 133-mile, 345 kilovolt transmission line to be built by Evergy will travel through western Sedgwick, Sumner, Cowley and Chautauqua counties. The project is part of Southwest Power Pool’s annual plan to support projected growth in electricity usage across its 14-state coverage area, Grady said. SPP is one of seven nonprofit organizations approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to oversee transmission infrastructure, ensure utility system reliability and manage the wholesale electricity market.
Read more: The Lawrence Times
New lawsuit challenges City of Lawrence’s housing discrimination ordinance
A real estate company has filed a lawsuit against the City of Lawrence challenging an ordinance that bans discrimination based on where a potential tenant’s rent payments would come from, such as housing vouchers. The case was filed in federal court Thursday by Tower Properties Company, which is based in Overland Park and owns Harper Square Apartments at 2201 Harper St. The company is asking the court for a permanent injunction to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance. The Lawrence City Commission in February 2023 approved the ordinance change, which created a protected class based on renters’ source of income, which could include housing vouchers, settlements, benefits, subsidies, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers and more. It also bans discrimination based on prospective tenants’ immigration status or their status as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. The ordinance went into effect in June 2023. Tower’s lawsuit is not the first legal challenge the city has faced regarding the ordinance.
Read more: The Lawrence Times
Hillsboro City Administrator Named New Saline County Administrator
Pending finalization of an employment contract, Matthew (Matt) Stiles will be joining Saline County as its new County Administrator, effective April 13. Stiles is currently City Administrator in Hillsboro, and has past experience as City Administrator in South Hutchinson, Assistant City Manager in Bel Aire, and project manager in Wichita State University’s Public Policy and Management Center. He will take over from current County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, who is retiring. Saline County Commission Chair Monte Shadwick said they were fortunate in having an impressive and highly qualified group of applicants, each of whom brought valuable skill and insight. “ Matt, however, stood out for his approachable leadership style, and strong communication skills, along with his past success in advancing economic development efforts, Shadwick said in a statement.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio
CBS features library in national news
The new city library in Frontenac was all abuzz with activity on Wednesday as a film crew from “CBS Mornings” shot footage, interviewed patrons, and was given a walking tour by Library Director Seth Nutt. The library is to be featured during a series highlighting unique American stories. Called “USA to Z,” the series is being produced as part of the nation’s 250th birthday. But the library wasn’t just randomly picked out of a hat. Aubrey Gelpieryn, a producer for “CBS Mornings,” has familial ties to the city — her mother grew up here. And her grandmother and aunts still live in Frontenac.
Read more: -Morning Sun
City of Newton eyes purchase of historic train depot for redevelopment opportunities
The city of Newton is considering buying the historic Newton Depot for $500,000 with plans to turn the property into a redevelopment opportunity. The train depot at 414 N. Main St. sits at the entrance of downtown Newton and serves as the busiest Amtrak station in Kansas for its line that travels from Chicago to Los Angeles. Built in 1930 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the depot was most recently used for leased offices but has also housed restaurants and lodging, according to the city. Newton’s City Commission approved an agreement at its Tuesday meeting for an option to purchase the depot, which it said is one of the “most important civic landmarks” in Newton.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal
Changes afoot for YC police
The future of the Yates Center Police Department is decidedly murky after City Council members voted Tuesday evening to substantially downsize the department later this year. In a surprise vote, the Council voted 3-2 with one abstention to shrink the force down to a single position held by a police chief who would be on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Law enforcement duties after hours would fall under the Woodson County Sheriff’s Department. The changeover is scheduled for April. However, that change may not come.
Read more: The Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for January 20, 2026
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.
Municipal Bond Trends for January 16, 2026
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.







