Municipal News & Jobs

Dennis Alexander rode a lawn mower up and down St. Mary’s Cemetery rows on a recent summer day. Alexander is one of the volunteers at the cemetery who keep it running, make sure the grass is cut and perform other kinds of maintenance. Alexander will take over the cemetery sexton role when the current sexton, Carrol Langenhorst, steps down. Langenhorst is in charge of the cemetery and its maintenance. He said he recently got Alexander to start taking care of his responsibilities. “I don’t believe in throwing in the keys and walking away,” Langenhorst said. “It’s totally unfair to dump the job on someone else, especially a volunteer job.” Langenhorst has volunteered at the cemetery since 1983.
Read more: Harvey County Now

The City of Newton held a 15-minute work session to discuss updates to the city’s building codes. The city has been working in recent months on new versions of the international building code and international existing building codes it plans to soon adopt. The local codes also include numerous revisions and amendments made by city staff. The work session was meant to give developers and property owners a chance to speak on the proposed changes.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Measles cases have spread to 12 counties in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2025 Kansas Measles Case Data dashboard. Two cases previously counted in Haskell County were reassigned last week to Seward County, health officials said in a correction on the dashboard, which was updated Wednesday. Seward County has no active outbreak-associated cases at this time.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

As the Kansas City area prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of fans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many local cities are discussing whether – and how – to make it easier to house them. Portions of the 2026 World Cup will take place in Kansas City between June 11 and July 19, 2026. Jackson County leaders estimate that 650,000 people will travel to the Kansas City region during the hotly anticipated global soccer championship. However, legislators noted, as of June 2025 only about 65,000 hotel rooms exist within a hundred-mile radius of the city.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

After Lea Rookwood and her husband had their first son, they knew they could not get a traditional family pet. Her son had terrible allergies, and he would break out in hives around dogs. So, they decided to get a pig. Shera, now seven, is the Rookwood’s family pet. An American Mini Pig from Idaho, she lived with the family first in California, and now Kansas. TOP VIDEOS Now, though, the Rookwoods are being forced to remove Shera from their home by their new neighborhood’s homeowners association. The Rookwoods moved into a house they purchased in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood in Shawnee, Kansas, in the middle of May, and they received a Notice of Violation from the HOA on June 7.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Western Kansas is the place for a quiet, rural lifestyle. But with that comes shortages when you need to see a doctor. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that largely due to this difference in access to health care, rural residents are more likely to die early than urban residents.
Read more: News

A Southeast Kansas fire department welcomes a new apparatus to its fleet. The Columbus Fire Department officially welcomed home its new rescue truck this week. It comes from Texas and costs $135,000.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The Manhattan city commission on Tuesday heard a revised housing development proposal following the county unanimously striking down the Reinvestment Housing Incentive Districts proposal.
The original proposal would have made use of the RHID state program’s funds. The county’s veto of the project in June took that funding off the table for future projects. The new project, the Workforce Housing Sales Tax Proposal, will rely partly on sales tax funds.
Read more: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

Housing prices have increased by almost 50% in Topeka over the past 10 years alone. 27 News looked at housing price data collected by real estate company Zillow in the City of Topeka. The data shows that since 2014, the price of a house in the Capital City has increased by more than $91,000. Since 2005, homes in Topeka have increased by almost 50%.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach claims in a recently published opinion that Johnson County commissioners acted beyond their authority when they approved a November ballot question asking voters to renew the county’s existing public safety sales tax. … Namely, Kobach says that mental health services and emergency medical services do not qualify as public safety projects.
Read more: KC Star

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.

Because the resolution tries to fund measures that do not qualify as public safety projects and it would fund different projects than that for which the existing tax was enacted, a court would find that the Board has exceeded its authority and that the resolution is null and void.
Read more: AG Opinion 2025-13

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 Crawford County Sheriff’s Office has welcomed a new member to their squad. On Friday, Crawford County Sheriff Billy Tomasi visited the Crawford County Commission, announcing the addition of K-9 to the department. “Our K-9 got delivered last week, he’s down in training right now and it should be done by the end of August, first of September be out on the streets,” said Sheriff Tomasi.
Read more: – Latest Stories

From Arcadia last month to Mulberry this month, the Northeast School District continues to embrace the longstanding history of its surrounding areas. On Thursday, the district hosted “Celebrating Mulberry School History” at the Mulberry Senior Citizens Center. USD 246 Superintendent Ray Streeter and district IT Director Ryan Gath are on a mission to obtain yearbook photos and memories from alumni and residents of Arcadia, Mulberry, and Arma so that they can go into a touchscreen kiosk at the high school.
Read more: – Latest Stories

Police in Ulysses are urging residents to use caution after a recent mountain lion sighting within city limits. In a social post on Saturday, the Ulysses Police Department said it is working with local game wardens to monitor the situation.
Read more: KSN-TV

The lights, the dust, and the roar of the crowd are back in Pretty Prairie this week, as the community hosts the 2025 Pretty Prairie Rodeo. Now in its 89th year, the four-night event attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from across the country and around the world.
Read more: KSN-TV

A “battle” is brewing between first responders in Butler County. Andover’s police and fire departments are competing in the Battle of the Badges to see who can get the most people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood.
Read more: KSN-TV

Firefighters used oxygen to save a dog injured in a house fire Thursday. The Neodesha Fire Department says it happened at a home in a rural area north of Elk City shortly before 12:30 p.m. The department was called to assist the Montgomery Rural, Elk City, and Wilson Rural fire departments in battling the fire. Neodesha firefighters rescued a dog found inside the home. The dog received oxygen from firefighters and was later transported to a veterinarian for evaluation.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum is throwing a birthday party Sunday, July 20, to celebrate 155 years since Sedgwick County was founded—and since Wichita became its first city. The free event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and includes music, an ice cream social, activities, and access to the museum’s exhibits and Heritage Square.
Read more: KSN-TV