Kansas Municipal News
Rose Hill gearing up for annual festivities
The city of Rose Hill is set to host its annual Hometown Christmas festivities all day Dec. 9 at various locations around town. Activities are set to be hosted at the Rose Hill Recreation Center, Rose Hill school buildings, Rose Hill Public Library, Historical Museum and more. Christmas festivities set to be held that day include pictures with Santa, an ugly sweater contest, cookie decorating and hot chocolate, a North Pole petting zoo, used coat drive, carriage rides, holiday parade and more. For a full schedule of events and more information, visit rosehillchamber.org.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Solar develops flocking to Kansas, but communities are skeptical
About 10 miles north of El Dorado on U.S. Highway 77, a break appears in the rolling cattle ranches and farmland of the Flint Hills. It’s a different sort of farm – a solar farm. It supplies electricity to several small towns throughout Lincoln Township in Butler County. “We’re not anti-solar,” said Terry Lowmaster, a trustee of the township, which gets some of this electricity. “We have a one megawatt here in our backyard that benefits our local residents.” At the same time, he and other local residents protested earlier this year when a Chicago-based developer applied for a permit to build a new solar farm – a $550 million dollar, 3,500-acre project. His reasoning for his opposition to one, and not the other? The existing solar farm is just 12 acres. Plus, it’s run by a local rural electric cooperative. “They have an office downtown. The employees live in the area. Their kids go to school with our kids, our grandkids,” Lowmaster said. “It’s home, you know? It’s a community, and they’re part of it.” As technology improves and green energy policy advances, solar development in Kansas is booming. Production of utility-scale solar power in Kansas is expected to increase 34 times over in the next four years.
Source: Derby Informer | Area
Halstead schools embracing new reading method
After seeing a decrease in reading scores from COVID-19, the Kansas Department of Education is funding new education for teachers, which Halstead schools are welcoming. Marcie Carr, the director of student learning at Halstead, said she’d seen the dip in scores herself among students. Carr said, during the pandemic, learning was interrupted as schools switched to remote learning, and this interruption created the dip in scores schools are seeing now. Carr said the district looked at scores to fill in gaps where students were struggling and is using the new education many staff members received to better educate students on reading. The staff have gone to “Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling” (LETRS) trainings, which the state education department funded. “The district made a huge commitment to commit our time to that professional development to ensure that instructors are aligned and implementing those best practices into their instruction,” Carr said.
Source: Harvey County Now
Municipal Bond Trends for November 24, 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.
New book ‘How Salina Works’ tells stories of life and work in Salina
Mike Durall has something in common with those who are naturally curious. He likes to write about places and things he knows nothing about. He admits this in an introduction to his new book about Salina in which he peers into what keeps the growing town’s gears turning. Each page inks a story he used to know nothing about, but after connecting with the people whose lives shape those narratives, he was able to learn quite well what makes Salina special. … From stories about the Salina Sirens Women’s Roller Derby team, a narrative on managing the Rolling Hills Zoo, the Black church experience in Salina, a day in the life of a hospital emergency room, farming families, first-responders and auto service workers, ‘How Salina Works’ is a melting pot of stories from the community.
Source: Salina Journal
Municipal Bond Trends for November 21, 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.
Municipal Bond Trends for November 20, 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.
Trying to save an ER in rural Kansas
When the emergency room in Fort Scott, Kansas, closes next month, the next closest in-state facility will be 40 minutes away — and some patients may not make it that far. Mayor Matthew Wells says the closure shows the need for the Kansas Legislature to pass Medicaid expansion. When Fort Scott, Kansas’ Mercy Hospital closed in early 2019, the community of 7,550 people in southeast Kansas briefly lost its emergency room. Mayor Matthew Wells remembers the time without an ER clearly. Now, his town is once again in that position after the community’s stand-alone ER closed, leaving residents to travel at least 20 miles to the nearest emergency center and raising concerns about attracting new residents and businesses. Steve Kraske spoke with Wells and Kansas News Service reporter Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga on KCUR’s Up To Date about the future of health care for the community.
Source: KCUR News
Kansas City, Kansas, has a new strategic plan for balancing development and history
Urban sprawl and decades of disinvestment have created a strain on Kansas City, Kansas’ ability to grow a healthy and vibrant community. A new long-range comprehensive plan aims to reverse that trend through strategic investment and intentional development. PlanKCK will focus on 11 elements — including economic development, transit access, historic preservation, and housing — in an effort to make strategic decisions that balance equity, access, health and regeneration. “They want access to attainable housing, reliable transportation, childcare, all of those things that make community vibrant,” said Alyssa Marcy, long range community planner for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. “But in order to do that, especially under constrained resources, you have to be strategic.” Historic preservation planner Randy Greeves says that the city’s old infrastructure could be eligible to receive tax incentives for repair, creating business and housing opportunities.
Source: KCUR
Hungry for ‘braised urban squirrel’? A Lawrence, Kansas, cook-off will star wild foods
Squirrel, elderberries and pawpaws aren’t usually the stars of Kansas cuisine. But they — and other ingredients found in the Kansas outdoors — are taking center stage at Wild Foods Cook Off in Lawrence this weekend. Amy Bousman, an education specialist at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and organizer of the event, said the idea came from a similar event focused on invasive species in Oregon. “I thought, why aren’t we doing this cook-off with wild foods?” she said. “There’s so many hunters and anglers and foragers in our state, and also in Missouri, that aren’t getting to feature their skills and show what they’re capable of.” Entries will fall into six categories: wild game, wild fish, wild plants, wild mushrooms, wild sweets and wild invasive/nuisance species. Spectators are welcome to try the dishes, and each will be judged by expert chefs and foragers, too. Prizes for the top dish in each category, as well as the “community favorite,” will be awarded. The event will take place Sunday, Nov. 19 at Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center in Lawrence.
Source: KCUR
What is the Ogallala Aquifer and why is it running out of water?
Millions of years ago, sediment from the Rocky Mountains was deposited in the High Plains. Over thousands of years, water dripped below the surface creating an underground water deposit called the Ogallala Aquifer. The water — which spans from South Dakota to Texas and was once the size of Lake Huron — at one point accounted for 30% of the crop and animal production in the U.S. Kansas accounts for about 10% of the water in the Aquifer, the third most of the eight states that can access the water. The Ogallala aquifer is the principal source of water for agriculture in western Kansas. It’s not an underground lake as some believe but saturated sediments that have been deposited over the past 35 million years. When we pull water from the aquifer, it’s a bit like sucking water out of a sponge made of rock, gravel, sand and other geologic materials. High capacity irrigation, such as center pivot sprinklers, have used groundwater faster than it can be replenished. Center pivot sprinklers can disperse hundreds of gallons per minute from a well, 24 hours a day, for weeks or months on end.
Source: Kansas City Breaking News & Sports | The Kansas City Star
North Newton to light up the sky
North Newton might set the heavens aglow this holiday season because there will be a Holiday Lighting Competition for businesses and residences. “Bethel College approached me back in May, really wanting to gain some excitement and some spirit around the holiday season before students are sent back home,” City Administrator Kyle Fiedler told the North Newton City Council during its regular monthly Monday night meeting. “This also came from my first year here. The tree on Main Street that was lit up, I think a lot of customers enjoyed that. We wanted to try to encourage that, and we never came up with a program that following year.” The contest is to get people to light the exterior of their homes, Fiedler said. This is an event that would tie into Bethel’s two-week holiday calendar of events.
Source: Harvey County Now
Wichita to consider ordinance to fine landlords that retaliate
The Wichita City Council will consider fines of $250 up to $2,500 for landlords that evict tenants for complaining about living conditions. “You have to keep paying your rent. That’s state statute,” said Brandon Johnson. But Johnson wants the city to help people who pay their rent and still have unfair living conditions. He explains the proposed city ordinance would stop landlord retaliation, where he says some are getting kicked out while still paying rent. “The hope is that it makes a difference permanently,” said Johnson. “There are landlords right now that have been trying to evict folks and actually evicting them just for asking that they fix the place that they’re living in. I think that’s wrong. Hopefully, this puts an end to that behavior. And I think hitting those pocketbooks a few times will change behaviors.”
Source: KSN-TV
Firefighters save Shawnee Co. horse trapped in mud
It’s a sticky situation one Shawnee County woman will never forget. One of the horses she watches after on her property in Berryton found himself stuck in the mud on Wednesday evening. Without the help of one of her other horses, Amy Bermudez may not have found him as quickly as she did. “It was dark, 6 o’clock when I go to get the horses in, and I call for Cooper, the victim, and he doesn’t come,” Bermudez told KSNT News. “So I go to get my other horse that’s out in the yard, and when I go to get her, she normally just walks back with me. But this time, she ran the other way.” She led Bermudez straight to a pond where the 30-year-old Arabian horse was stuck. The pond, according to Bermudez, was partially dried up, but the ground was soft enough to give way when Cooper got close to it. Bermudez told KSNT she immediately called the horse’s owner upon finding him. The two thought they could get him out themselves, but Cooper’s struggles only sunk him deeper into the mud. While trying to free him, Bermudez herself got stuck in the mud, forcing the two to call the Shawnee Heights Fire Department for help. A family friend brought his excavator to dig away the muck while firefighters tried to fasten ropes to the horse to pull him to safety.
Source: KSN-TV
Ribbon cutting honors Walter Johnson’s new birthplace marker in Humboldt
A ribbon cutting in southeast Kansas honors the “Humboldt Thunderbolt.” That’s legendary, 1924 World Series Champion Walter Johnson. He was a pitcher with the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. A sign along US 169 as you enter Humboldt from the south, has honored the city as Johnson’s birthplace for several years. But, now it has a fresh new look. Allie Utley’s grandfather, Dick Davis, created the original marker. She felt like it was her duty to upgrade the sign. “Seemed obvious that I should be doing a project that also included my family’s legacy, so I just think I felt really compelled by the memory of my grandfather to work on this project and make sure that the story doesn’t die and that my grandpa’s memory doesn’t die with it either,” said Utley. Utley is also organizing a 100-year celebration for both Johnson and Negro League Baseball player George Sweatt. Like Johnson, Sweatt was also born in Humboldt and is a 1924 Negro League World Series Champion — he played with the Kansas City Monarchs.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Simple economics giving a major boost to Emporia sales tax collections
The City of Emporia’s sales tax collections have been on the rise throughout the past year according to Treasurer Janet Harouff. …Harouff noted the city collections have increased steadily each month this year putting the city seven percent above where it was this same time last year with a total of $5.3 million collected as of October. When asked what is contributing to this steady increase, Harouff explained it is simple economics. When asked if a decrease in inflation would mean a dip in city collections, Harouff stated that would be dependent on whether or not product makers lower their prices. She says while possible, any lowering in prices would likely not be significant. Harouff also noted that due to the high demand and low availability for certain products, basic supply and demand would likely mean a continued increase in collections for the foreseeable future. Dollars collected through the city’s one percent sales tax goes to the city’s general fund to pay for general services such as police and fire, parks and recreation, quality of life matters and economic development.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio
Johnson County looks to convert abandoned factory into trail hub
Johnson County officials are looking to convert the old Kuhlman Diecasting plant at 159th and Mission into a trail hub. Photo credit Roxie Hammill. Thirty years ago, the old Kuhlman Diecasting plant just south of 159th Street and Mission Road was abandoned, gradually becoming a toxic eyesore and a danger to the school children who made it their forbidden playground. Now, after years of frustration, the plant’s demolition and environmental clean up, local officials are considering making the site a trail hub that would connect bike and nature trails in the area and, they hope, improve the Blue River watershed. Johnson County Park and Recreation board members last Wednesday took a first look at some park use concepts for the Kuhlman site in unincorporated Johnson County and adjacent land owned by Overland Park. The 35.15-acre Kuhlman plant sits near a bend in the Blue River, separated from the water by a levee, but still vulnerable to flooding. It was abandoned in 1990 after the company underwent bankruptcy and it is still privately owned.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
Iola: Build it and they will come
More than a year ago, Iola council members voted 7-0 to extend water, electric and streets in the Cedarbrook Addition and followed through last spring by committing $1.7 million to the project with the goal of attracting developers. It worked. On Monday, council members sold the 22 lots to the mother-and-son duo Jennifer Chester and Blake Boone. The two plan to start construction in January 2024. When all is said and done, Iola will have at least 16 single-family homes and possibly another three larger homes or three duplexes. The new development is designated as Cedarbrook Third Addition. Time and again, investments by city leaders have paid off. No place is a better example than the further development of Cedarbrook, which began with the strip of homes lining the north side of Miller Road beginning at Cottonwood and going west. Cedarbrook Second Addition was an answer to the devastation of the 2007 flood that wiped out dozens of homes primarily in the south end of town. Taking the attitude that a crisis is an opportunity in the wings, in 2008, Iola Industries purchased 66 acres of the western half of the 18-hole Cedarbrook Golf Course from owner Larry Macha, which it then turned around and sold to the City of Iola in early 2009 for its development.
Source: The Iola Register
Municipal Bond Trends for November 17, 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.
New Shawnee County park may be destination playground
Plans for the anticipated Shawnee County family park — with its destination playground for older play, 16 pickleball courts and a shelter house — are moving along. The Family Park will be built at the corner of S.W. Urish Road and S.W. 21st Street between Midwest Aquatics Center and the Cypress Ridge Golf Course. Efforts to begin crafting the park began in late July 2020 after Shawnee County commissioners hosted the first public engagement phase for the planning of the park. Public feedback was requested in October 2020 for park’s potential concept.
Source: CJonline