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Municipal News & Jobs

Municipal News & Jobs2026-08-07T10:07:18-05:00

Kansas Municipal News

Emporia looks at developing upper-floor apartments downtown

Special projects coordinator Jim Witt explained to the Emporia City Commission during its Wednesday morning study session that an applicant had come forward with a proposal to install 10 new upper-floor apartments in the 700 block of Commercial Street. Witt said this would be the first such project in Emporia to be completed after new legislation became effective July 1 allowing Kansas cities with fewer than 60,000 people to issue Rural Housing Incentive District bonds to renovate the upper floors of buildings at least 25 years old in central business districts for residential use.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Wichita Fire Department gets funding for needed upgrades

Communication takes the lead when it comes to responding to an emergency, but for the Wichita Fire Department, the technology is falling behind. Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow said the alerting systems to notify crews about an emergency are outdated. The other challenge is the equipment is different between the stations. This means there’s a need to update the system and even add signal boosters for the radios. The Wichita City Council approved nearly $3 million, using funding from the American Rescue Plan.
Source: KSN-TV

Stair climb planned to honor 9/11 responders

The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the four states and beyond to participate in a stair climb event Saturday at Belmont Towers, 1900 Belmont Ave. The event is in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in rural Pennsylvania. Beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, the 9/11 stair climb will have opening ceremonies, a presentation of colors and the national anthem. The official stair climb is open only to firefighters, but the public is invited to attend and participate in activities outside the towers. The purpose of the stair climb is to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during the terrorist attacks in 2001 as well as raise funds for the Jed Head memorial scholarship. During the climb, photos of many of those who lost their lives will be displayed in the stairwell along with additional memorial photos on individual lanyards worn by participants making the 2,205 stair climb.
Source: Parsons Sun

Sedgwick nears the end of its city administrator search

A new administrator will most likely be chosen by the end of the month, according to Sedgwick Mayor Bryan Chapman. Chapman has led a three-member committee consisting of him and council members Randi Tolin and Carol Truesdell. They narrowed the field to two candidates to be interviewed by the full city council. The first interview took place last week during a thirty-minute executive session at the city council meeting. Chapman said the second interview would likely happen at the next council meeting on Sep. 20. “We’re at the very end and we’ll have an announcement soon, as soon as we get the other interview done because they’re both pretty good candidates,” Chapman said.
Source: Harvey County Now

After calls from activists, Wichita forms board to act on climate change, environment

The Wichita city council voted unanimously to establish a sustainability board on Tuesday, which will advise the council and city staff on climate change resiliency, environmental concerns and economic vitality. The vote comes after a coordinated effort that put 27 presentations by Wichita citizens in front of the city council over the past 6 months, passionately speaking about climate change concerns. Eight citizens spoke in favor of the ordinance during the city council meeting today, including a representative of the League of Women Voters, who said their organization was fully supportive of the formation of this task force.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Lenexa adjusts alcohol rules around civic campus and Public Market

The Lenexa Public Market has adjusted its rules regulating alcohol that can be consumed in the market and the surrounding area around the civi campus off 87th Street Parkway. Since the food hall and incubator of small businesses launched in 2017, the Lenexa Public Market, 8750 Penrose Lane, has prohibited the possession and consumption of liquor that’s purchased outside of the common consumption area surrounding the market … the Lenexa City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved several revisions that govern that common consumption area of the Lenexa Public Market in an attempt to give the city more flexibility at events.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Roeland Park’s 47th Street mural depicting city’s past and present nears completion

The 47th Street mural in Roeland Park, above, is a work in progress — but organizers say the 311-foot work is on track to be completed by the end of the month. An image of a tree is placed towards the center of the mural, symbolizing the city’s slogan, “Uniquely Rooted.” Photo credit Juliana Garcia. The city of Roeland Park is working on a 311-foot mural near the border with Wyandotte County — and it’s on track to be completed by the end of the month. After years of working toward a community-driven mural, the Roeland Park City Council gave the arts committee the green light, and some funding, for a $36,000 mural on Roe Lane and 47th Street.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

KDOT holding regional local consult meetings online

The Kansas Department of Transportation is hosting eight public Local Consult meetings this fall as part of the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE) project selection process, with the meeting for the Wichita metro being held at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9. All Kansans are invited to participate. Participants will have the opportunity to share their community and region’s transportation priorities and provide input on a list of potential highway expansion and modernization projects.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Johnson County school district is ‘discriminatory’ in its COVID rules, lawyers claim

A Johnson County law firm has sent a cease and desist letter to Gardner Edgerton schools, demanding that the district amend COVID-19 protocols it claims are discriminatory and violate Kansas law. The letter claims the district’s enforcement of quarantine and mask policies discriminates against unvaccinated and unmasked students. The Olathe firm Kriegshauser Ney Law Group gave the school district until 5 p.m. Friday to respond. The letter, sent Tuesday by attorney Ryan Kriegshauser, could be a precursor to a civil lawsuit.
Source: Joco 913 News

Sedgwick County health officer pushes for mask mandate as COVID cases continue to rise

Sedgwick County’s top health official is again pushing for commissioners to implement a mask mandate as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase. Dr. Garold Minns discussed by phone during Tuesday’s commission meeting the latest county numbers. He said the county had 1,800 new cases for the week ending September 4, the highest since November or December 2020. He compared that to the week ending July 3, which had 142 new cases. “So as you can see, we’ve had a quantum leap in the number of cases,” Dr. Minns said. “We also are still running a positive test rate of around 8%. The virus is still circulating in our community; it’s still here.”
Source: KAKE – News

USDA Seeks Applications to Spur Job and Economic Growth in Rural Areas

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today announced that the department is accepting loan and grant applications for projects that create jobs and economic growth in rural communities.

Funds are being made available under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program. Through the REDLG program, USDA provides zero-interest loans and grants to Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Program and Telecom Program borrowers who will use the funds to help local businesses finance projects that will create and retain jobs. Projects must be located in rural areas or towns with a population of 50,000 or less.

Funds may be used to support:

  • business startup costs;
  • business expansion;
  • business incubators;
  • technical assistance feasibility studies;
  • advanced telecommunications services and computer networks for medical, educational and job training services; and
  • community facilities projects that spur economic development.

Eligible applicants include current, former and potential borrowers of Rural Development’s Electric Program and Telecommunications Program.

Applications are being accepted continuously with funding competition deadlines on Sept. 30, 2021; Dec. 31, 2021; March 31, 2022; and June 30, 2022.

Applications submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. local time on the deadline dates to the USDA Rural Development State Office where the project is located and will compete for the available REDLG funds in that quarter.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact their local USDA Rural Development State Office well in advance of the application deadline to ask questions about their project, the program or the application process.

Lawrence City Commission interested in potential ordinance changes that aim to decriminalize poverty, other social issues

City leaders are interested in continuing a discussion about the decriminalization of certain behaviors associated with homelessness or other social issues, such as removing contents from a refuse container, violating park hours and consumption of alcohol in public. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission discussed the potential repeal or amendment of various city ordinances that deal with social issues or that criminalize behaviors associated with poverty. Commissioners indicated they would like to consider potential changes and will soon discuss a process for doing so.
Source: LJWorld.com

Kansas to provide $50M pay boost for nurses

Kansas officials plan to allocate $50 million in federal COVID-19 aid to boost the salaries of registered nurses and other frontline workers at understaffed hospitals. The program is a response to severe staffing problems in ICUs overwhelmed by the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, which is attributed to the highly infectious delta variant and unvaccinated residents. Funding would be allocated to hospitals based on licensed bed capacity and the number of nurses needed to fill those beds. On average, the program would provide a $5,000 pay increase for each nurse, but hospitals would decide how to divide the funds. The $50 million includes $800,000 for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to administer the program.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Billions unspent in COVID aid: Kansas, counties figuring out process

Life is good in Lakin, according to city administrator Michael Heinitz. While Kearny County, where Lakin is the county seat, has reported a smattering of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, there are far fewer there than in other more populated corners of the state. The local economy is humming, Heinitz said, and the city has ample reserves on hand to handle any new projects which might arise. That’s why the town of 2,300 made the unusual decision to refuse federal funding under the American Rescue Act, which pushed out aid to states, counties and cities nationwide. … “If somebody else needed the money, it could go to them instead of us,” Heinitz said.
Source: Dodge Globe

Kansas sending firefighters to help with hurricane relief efforts

The Kansas Department of Emergency Management is sending firefighters and equipment from five fire departments, including Wichita, to provide support in areas of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida. Seven Wichita firefighters have been sent to Louisiana, along with two engines and a Strike Team leader.  The two Wichita engines will meet up with four engines from Johnson County, and they will operate together as an engine company strike team.   They will provide emergency response services to communities in Louisiana.   The Wichita firefighters are expected to be in Louisiana about two weeks. In all, there will be 23 fire department personnel with six engines and a command vehicle going to Louisiana.   They are from Wichita, Johnson County, Leawood, Lenexa and Olathe.   Crews will be based in Thibodaux and they will work 48-hour shifts out of a fire station and 48-hour shifts out of a base camp.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Spending federal COVID aid proves tricky in Kansas

Kansas is moving slowly to spend the latest round of COVID-19 aid, and one town turned down its share because city officials decided it’s not needed. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that while most state and local governments across the country saw the influx of money as an opportunity to shore up infrastructure, fight the COVID-19 pandemic and help local businesses, the 2,300-person town of Lakin turned down the $300,000 it was due to receive. City administrator Michael Heinitz said the local economy is humming and the town has ample reserves on hand to handle any new projects that might arise. “If somebody else needed the money, it could go to them instead of us,” Heinitz said.
Source: KAKE – News

Uniontown commemorates 115 years of labor day celebrations

While some throughout the four states may choose to travel to other places this labor day, Uniontown is using the holiday to celebrate its history. “My great grandad, he was an old settler along with the other gentlemen, and I think they just wanted to have a get-together, you know they were farmers, they were working hard every day, and they just wanted to have a gathering in town, I would assume that’s the way it started.” said attendee Alan Drake.  The town held its 150th annual Old Settlers Picnic. This year’s theme was hats off for hometown pride. On Monday, the old settler’s picnic wrapped up the labor day weekend with a parade. Highlighting area law enforcement, the local high school, as well as various businesses.
Source: KOAMKOAM

Communities receive grant to help residents enroll in health insurance

NEK-CAP, Inc. (Northeast Kansas Community Action Program) was recently selected as one of ten community organizations throughout Kansas to receive funding to assist individuals enroll in Marketplace insurance, Medicaid and CHIP. This was made possible through a federal grant Thrive Allen County received from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help underserved populations find affordable health insurance coverage with the assistance of Navigators. The grant is expected to provide $2.9 million over a three-year period. Navigators are federally trained and certified individuals who help consumers find and apply for Marketplace health insurance. According to CMS, “Since 2013, Navigators have helped Americans understand their health insurance options and facilitated enrollment in health insurance through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace. As trusted community partners, their mission focuses on assisting the uninsured and other underserved communities. Navigators serve an important role in connecting communities that historically have experienced lower access to health coverage and greater disparities in health outcomes to health coverage.”
Source: The Sabetha Herald » Feed

Junction City Commission approves plan to give city employees a bonus

The Junction City Commission voted Tuesday evening to approve bonuses toward city employees. Full-time workers will receive $500 and part-time employees will get $250 each. This is a one-time bonus to show appreciation for their hard work during the pandemic, not tied to vaccination status. Money goes to any workers active on the city payroll at this time.
Source: KSNT News

Local market fighting to survive

If local buy-in to Moran’s Marmaton Market doesn’t pick up, the store will likely close within the next 30-60 days, predicts manager Marilyn Logan. “If just half the people in town would come in and spend $20 to $30 a week, that would make the difference in us being able to stay open,” she said Thursday. In business since 2018, the cooperative grocery store has failed to gain local traction. “There’s tremendous support from the surrounding areas. From Moran, not so much,” Logan said. “The owners of the diner in Kincaid and the Mildred Store are regular customers,” Logan said. “In fact, our most faithful clientele are those from Colony, Stark, Elsmore, Bronson and Uniontown.”  Even so, it’s local customers who drop in multiple times a week that make or break a grocery store. That lack of repeat business is what is hurting the market, said Brenda Boyle, chairman of the Marmaton Market board of directors.
Source: The Iola Register

Little Balkans Days back in Pittsburg after hiatus

An annual tradition in Pittsburg is back to, hopefully, being annual again. “Little Balkans Days” is underway. For those who don’t know, the festival started in 1985 as a way to celebrate the area’s ethnic and immigrant history. It was canceled last year due to the pandemic, and organizers have worked diligently with the Crawford County Health Department to develop safety measures. Folks are encouraged to practice social distancing outside, and are required to wear masks during inside events.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Stray bullets discharged in county can net fines

Gun owners and property owners  will now be held responsible for discharging firearms in unincorporated Johnson County. The ordinance passed 7-0 at Johnson County Board of Commission’s Aug. 26 meeting. Fines will range from a minimum $500 to $1,000 per violation. Discharged bullets that leave the boundaries of their property and land on another property without consent or are discharged on a property without consent will be in violation, Peggy Trent, chief counsel and county legal advisor, said. Trent said the discharge of a firearm is allowed in lawful defense or by a law enforcement officer, however. Calvin Hayden, Johnson county sheriff, said he received 22 calls from 19 addresses between August 2 2019 and June 13 2021.
Source: Gardner News

First look inside Park City Amazon fulfillment center

We’re getting the first look inside Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Park City. The massive building is the size of 17 football fields. The 1.2 million square foot facility equates to about 10,000 storage units. The fulfillment center is wrapping up its third week of operation. Right now, there are 700 associates working inside the center. HR partner Cassondra Redmond says it’s bringing a lot of excitement to the community. “When I go to the grocery store, if I have on my Amazon t-shirt I get questions, customers asking, ‘Hey are you hiring ?’ So I think it’s impacting people. They’re excited we’re here and we are too,” Redmond said.
Source: KAKE – News

Experts weigh in on Hillsdale Lake, Golden

County Commission Chair Rob Roberts summed up a three-hour session about the intermodal’s effect on the Hillsdale Watershed with one sentence. “So far, I haven’t heard anyone really tell me that a warehouse building [and its impervious surface] creates much more of a problem than the velocity from a momentary 2-inch, 5-inch rain,” Roberts said at the Wednesday, Aug. 25, study session. It’s a function of where that warehouse is and what it picks up as it washes stormwater runoff down to the reservoir, said Tom Stiles, director of the Bureau of Water at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Stiles said KDHE does not regulate impervious surface.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Fed chairman sees taper by the end of the year, but says there’s ‘much ground to cover’ before rate hikes

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated Friday that the central bank is likely to begin withdrawing some of its easy-money policies before the end of the year, though he still sees interest rate hikes off in the distance. In a much-anticipated speech as part of the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, symposium, Powell said the economy has reached a point where it no longer needs as much policy support. That means the Fed likely will begin cutting the amount of bonds it buys each month before the end of the year, so long as economic progress continues. Based on statements from other central bank officials, a tapering announcement could come as soon as the Fed’s Sept. 21-22 meeting.
Source: CNBC

Longtime artist, teacher gives back to Eudora community through a new sculpture

Gary Hinman has always been able to find something special in the objects right under our noses. At 5 years old, he started a collection in a candy box of tiny found objects. He picked up every bottle cap, shiny piece of glass, or rusty nail that caught his eye. Now, as an artist, he has a garage full of artwork inspired by those types of objects. Some of his sculptures are made out of rusted abandoned tools he found at Clinton Lake or sticks he’s picked up. For Hinman, “junk” isn’t really junk.  “I’ve always liked the idea of reusing things that have maybe gone to waste or have been discarded and trying to find visual interest in those things,” Hinman said. “That’s kind of the driving force behind my art.”
Source: The Lawrence Times

The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the area to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during 9/11

The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the area to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during 9/11. The department will be hosting it’s Nine Eleven Stair Climb, to raise money for the Jed Head Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit local firefighter training. Teams and individuals will climb the seven story Belmont Towers in Parsons 15 times, equaling 105 stories and 2,205 steps in total. The climb costs $50 per person. Any firefighters interested can email or call the Parsons Fire Department.
Source: KSNF/KODE

One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion

One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion. The city of Walnut, Kansas celebrated it’s 150th anniversary this weekend. Everything kicked off with the city’s 5K fun run Saturday morning. After the race the city gathered on Main Street to enjoy local vendors and food. Families, businesses, state and county officials also marched in the festival’s annual parade. Marena Kirkpatrick, Walnut Days Planning Committee, says, “It’s a huge accomplishment just to make sure that we all just come together, it’s just really pulling our community together and enjoying everybody’s company since it’s been some hard years and to make sure we honor the history of where we came from.”
Source: KSNF/KODE

Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday

Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday. Saturday concluded the fifth annual Living History event at the Crawford County Historical Museum. Visitors got the chance to explore the history of Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri during the Civil War. The free event gave visitors a look into soldier camp life and Dutch oven cooking. On Friday students stopped by for a hands on lesson in local history. Shawn Pryer, Mighty Mo Chuck Wagon, says, “It’s amazing, because some of the questions they’ll ask, and then they’ll really get to realizing, ‘well that was hard work. They had to do that? Walk! They didn’t ride in these wagons?’ exactly and the kids have a great time with it.”
Source: KSNF/KODE

Blue Valley family sues Johnson County over order mandating COVID masks in schools

A Blue Valley parent and middle school student are suing the Johnson County Board of Commissioners over its mask mandate in some schools, arguing that the pandemic health order is overly restrictive as it lasts through the end of the school year. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser is representing the Blue Valley student, who is only identified by the initials M.M.C. in the lawsuit. The child’s parent is identified as B.C. The child attends a school affected by Johnson County’s health order, which mandates masks in private and public schools serving children as old as sixth grade. The Blue Valley school district went beyond that and mandated masks for all grade levels, worried that classrooms of unmasked and unvaccinated children would lead to COVID-19 outbreaks and possible closures.
Source: Joco 913 News

Lawrence eco devo leaders launch $2.5 million fundraising campaign to boost county’s fortunes post pandemic

Post-pandemic life — whenever that begins — is likely to feature a race. It will be between communities looking to prosper. Local leaders are betting that the winners will be those communities that have the ability and resources to adjust to the new environment left in the wake of the pandemic. Leaders with The Chamber and the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence and Douglas County on Tuesday evening kicked off a new phase in that effort with the launch of a $2.5 million, five-year fundraising campaign to support economic development initiatives ranging from traditional activities like industrial attraction to less standard programs like the creation of new workforce child-care programs.
Source: LJWorld.com

Employers in Dodge City continue to search for the right candidates

Coming out of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and employers either had to make adjustments to its workforce or operation hours. As 2021 moved along, things seemed to be getting better until the Delta Variant and others like it began to reshape the rest of the year in terms of employment opportunities. For businesses in Dodge City, pandemic or not, it has been a tough going in finding the right candidate to fit the job. “It’s tough to find quality help,” said Brock Cunningham, general manager of Best Western Plus Country Inn & Suites in Dodge City. “We have a great staff at this time but are we looking for more? Absolutely. We try to hire extra for back up but the economy is tough.”
Source: Dodge Globe

Help wanted’ in Hutchinson

New signs have gone up in the doors or windows of several retail locations in Hutchinson in recent weeks. The makeshift “Reduced Hours” signs have joined “Help Wanted” and “Immediate Interviews offered” as local businesses struggle to find enough workers to fill shifts. And it’s not just restaurants or retailers being challenged. While finding qualified workers is not a new issue for many businesses in Hutchinson or Reno County, said Mike Chisam, president and CEO of Kansas Protein Foods in Hutchinson and Kansas Ethanol in Rice County, it’s one of the most difficult labor markets he’s seen in 25 years of managing companies. That despite a local unemployment rate pegged last month at 4.7% for Reno County and 5.1% for Hutchinson.
Source: Hutch News

Plenty of jobs still available in Salina

As Labor Day is upon us, Salina and surrounding communities are still in need of workers in the labor force. Leaders from these areas say openings and opportunities for employment are there, as are tools to help people find jobs. Eric Brown, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce said it’s hard not to drive around the community without seeing now hiring or help wanted signs. “There’s 1,554 jobs open and being actively advertised as of (Aug. 30),” Brown said of where the market is in Saline County. He said that encompasses 266 different occupations and over 510 employers that span a number of different industries and fields.
Source: Salina Journal

Topeka sewage sees high percentage of genetic remnants of COVID-19 when compared to 330 other communities

Topeka’s Oakland Wastewater Treatment plant recently had more genetic remnants of COVID-19 floating in its sewage than 91% of the other facilities evaluated in a nationwide study. The Oakland plant at 1115 N.E. Poplar Ave. is among about 330 treatment plants that took part in the study by Biobot Analytics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based wastewater epidemiology firm. The company tested sewage for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The study’s results offer a rough measure, in hindsight, of how often people in the areas involved were infected with the coronavirus, said Dan Zeller, plant operations manager for the city’s water pollution control division.
Source: CJonline.com.

Lawrence City Commission to discuss implementation plan for police study, decriminalization, other criminal justice reforms

After a study of the Lawrence police department generated 75 recommendations for changes, city leaders will soon get an update on the changes that have been made so far and discuss other ongoing criminal justice reform efforts. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will receive an update on the implementation plan for the recommendations from Citygate Associates. The commission will also discuss the potential repeal or amendment of various city ordinances in an effort to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness and other social issues.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Finney County has jobs, but bodies are needed to fill them

Unemployment numbers have remained low in Finney County throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Lona DuVall, President/CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, said unemployment in Finney County is 2.9% as of Aug. 14. “It’s important to note that we just recently were able to get actual numbers on how many people are actually on unemployment here,” she said. The Kansas Department of Labor’s latest unemployment numbers show an unemployment rate of 3.8% with the department claiming a workforce population of 1,514,522 people, of which 1,456,792 are employed and 57,730 are unemployed.
Source: GC Telegram.

When will the worker shortages end?

his Labor Day, the nation faces an overriding question. Where is the labor? And when is it coming back? The most severe worker shortages on record largely were expected to ease this month with the reopening of schools and expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits on Monday. Those milestones theoretically would allow millions of parents caring for their remote-learning kids to return to work and prod millions of unemployed people to more fervently hunt for jobs and accept offers. It’s proving not so simple.
Source: GC Telegram.

Former home of Wolfe’s Camera to become site of Topeka’s multimillion-dollar downtown innovation campus

GO Topeka has found a home for its forthcoming innovation campus. The local economic development agency announced Thursday it partnered with BioRealty Inc. to close on multiple properties in downtown Topeka, as part of the multimillion-dollar effort to stand up an innovation campus that will serve as the hub for Topeka’s Plug and Play accelerator program and other innovative endeavors in the capital city. The campus is expected to be dubbed the ASTRA Innovation Center and will be located in the former home of Wolfe’s Camera Shop, which closed earlier this summer after 97 years in business.
Source: CJonline

Community members concerned by law enforcement pursuits in Wichita neighborhood

Concerned residents in south Wichita say they’ve seen an increase in law enforcement pursuits go through their neighborhood and now they are speaking out. This is the scene after a high speed chase involving Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies in south Wichita — The aftermath sent three people to the hospital, totaled two cars and destroyed the side of a nearby home. “We’ll have police chases all the time, it seems like now,” said Mark Johnson. Johnson, who captured drone video of the crash over the weekend at Irving and Meridian, said he’s lived in the neighborhood for 11 years now, and the area has become more dangerous.
Source: KAKE – News

In with new, out with old. Olathe Courthouse to be replaced by Johnson County Square

Crews have finished demolishing the old Johnson County County Courthouse in downtown Olathe, and it will be replaced by an outdoor public space called Johnson County Square. The last walls of the old courthouse, left empty when a new courthouse opened across Santa Fe Street in January, came down early on Aug. 25. The demolition is being followed by debris removal and back-filling of the foundation with about 15,000 cubic yards of dirt that were removed during excavation for the new courthouse. In a news release, project manager Kyle Heltne estimated that the recycled dirt weighs about 33 million pounds. It had been stored at the New Century AirCenter.
Source: KC Star Local News

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