Municipal News & Jobs

The city of Prairie Village could soon become the next Johnson County city to deploy drones as front-line emergency responders. Last week, the Prairie Village City Council discussed entering a contract with Houston-based Paladin Drones during a committee of the whole meeting for its own “Drone as First Responder” program. This is the same program that the city of Lenexa has been using since March and expanded in June, also under contract with Paladin. Lenexa Police now have a total of seven drones docked on various city properties that can be operated remotely, lifting off and flying to the scene of a 911 call within minutes.
Read more: Johnson County Post

The Abilene Kansas History GeoTour, launched by Visit Abilene Kansas at the end of March, is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about geocaching destinations in the Midwest. In just three months, nearly 300 geocachers from 24 states have completed the GeoTour, which leads visitors on a GPS-guided treasure hunt through Abilene’s most iconic historical sites and attractions.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Based on where you’re standing, Wichita’s first 24/7, year-round homeless shelter, now located in a sprawling red-brick, former school building, can look very different. From the chair of an organizer, the emerging one-stop shop, known as Second Light, is the next chapter in the story of Wichita’s efforts to address homelessness. Almost everybody agrees it can be a lifesaver, a haven not just from the cold of the winter but also from late spring thunderstorms and oppressive summer heat. The people who sleep there would like more of the services they’ve been assured would be offered and better conditions inside the shelter. Their perspectives vary; they are disabled, able-bodied, white, Black, young and senior citizens. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Kechi Police, with assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, have conducted a raid of a warehouse of a local business selling CBD products. Kechi Police say on Tuesday, they received a tip about the “illicit sale and distribution of illegal substances” in their community. The department says a three-day investigation began involving assistance from Bentley Police, the KBI, and the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. A search warrant was executed on Thursday at a small warehouse located in the 1300 block of East Kechi Road, belonging to CBD Plus USA, which Kechi Police says also serves as the company’s corporate warehouse.
Read more: KSN-TV

A coordinated community effort in Grinnell is helping people recover from the tornado that hit back in May. A mission group from Dighton, along with other Kansas churches, spent a week rebuilding a family’s home. KSN News talked to the pastor who was compelled to do it.
Read more: KSN-TV

A local rural school district is struggling to find bus drivers before the new year, a problem that means longer wait times for kids and more work for faculty. Officials say there are many different problems causing the shortage. Issues like mandatory training for commercial driver’s licenses, scheduling, and pay are just a few reasons these roles are hard to fill, leaving faculty from Northeast USD 246 no choice but to step up to the plate, and leaves schoolchildren with a longer wait.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

While Marion County and its cities are still pondering their 2026 budgets, Council Grove’s already is proposed and is being reviewed by the public online. It’s posted prominently on the city’s website, not just as a bunch of numbers but with easy-to-understand narratives about individual projects, initiatives, and changes and the rationale for them.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

The Kansas Forest Service has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer in Bourbon County on privately owned land north of Barnesville, the third confirmed sighting found in Kansas this year. KFS, working with K-State Research and Extension, captured and confirmed one dead adult insect and several live larvae specimens on July 28. KFS officials first noted signs and symptoms of the pest and a follow-up site visit resulted in the official detection of verifiable physical specimens.
Read more: The Sunflower State Radio Network

A proposal to reshape Manhattan’s waterfront may soon become part of the city’s 20-year strategic plan for the Parks and Recreation Department. Local stakeholders in the last few years have discussed developing the area around the banks of the Kansas River where it crosses Kansas Highway 177.  City commissioners on Tuesday will review a recommendation from the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board to incorporate the city’s MoveMHK Master Plan into the city’s comprehensive plan.
Read more: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

August 18 is the first day of high school football practice in Kansas, and two southwest Kansas schools have agreed to a cooperative agreement for the 2025 football season. According to Kansas Pregame Magazine’s John Baetz on Friday, Bucklin and Ashland have agreed to enter a cooperative agreement for the 2025 football season. The team will play 6-Man football, as both teams played 8-Man football in 2024. As a result, the team will be ineligible for postseason competition, due to being in the second year of the football cycle.
Read more: Western Kansas News

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

As of now, the plan is to have finalists visit the city in the morning and then meeting with the public in the evening on Aug. 11 and then having closed-session interviews with the commission individually throughout the day on Aug. 12. It seems the names of the finalists will be announced before they visit the city, with the public notified of when they will be able to meet them on Aug. 11.
Read more: Salina Journal

After large dips in the stockmarket in 2025, the Kansas public pension system ended the fiscal year with strong returns. Despite the significant gains, financial advisers told members of the KPERS Boardof Trustees duringmeetings July 24 and July 25 in Topeka of risks and uncertainties to future investment performance.
Read more: Salina Journal

Nestled in the plains of McPherson County is what many have described Kansas’ best-kept secret of an attraction and home to more than 200 bison. Driving into Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, six miles north of Canton, people may be greeted by one of these bison on the road, but there’s not much tame about these animals and the “wild” of wildlife means people shouldn’t get too close.
Read more: Salina Journal

They’re circulating a petition for registered voters across much of the Perry-Lecompton school district to try to get a referendum on the November ballot to create a library district. If the library could do that, it would be more than just an effort by a few volunteers. It would be eligible for grants from a regional library system that Perry and Lecompton residents already pay taxes to — and, one day, it might be able to more directly rely on tax money, like the Lawrence Public Library does.
Read more: LJWorld.com

A group is organizing to push back against the Lawrence Police Department’s adoption of the Axon Fusus program, a new system for residents to register and integrate security cameras for police use. The Lawrence Transparency Project had gathered more than 125 signatures as of Monday afternoon on a petition calling for the city to halt implementation of the Community Connect camera registration program. The group is also pushing for more community input and oversight.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Students from Hiratsuka, Japan made a stop by Lawrence City Hall Monday to meet with Vice Mayor Brad Finkeldei and present the city with a gift, part of a week of events planned through the Sister City exchange program.  Hiratsuka is one of Lawrence’s four sister cities, alongside Eutin, Germany; the Sacred City of Messolonghi (formerly Iniades), Greece; and Tocopilla, Chile. Students from Lawrence visited Hiratsuka a few weeks ago. The group of 10 students and three chaperones are in town for 10 days with stops planned at KU’s campus, Massachusetts Street and the state capitol in Topeka. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Camille Lavon, Thrive Allen County’s new economic development director, is ready to hit the ground running. Camille Lavon may be new to Allen County, but she’s no stranger to economic development. She’s bringing a wealth of experience and a listening ear to her new role as economic development director for Thrive Allen County. With more than a decade of experience in workforce development and economic strategy across Colorado and beyond, Lavon’s journey to Iola marks the latest chapter in a career focused on growing communities by understanding their needs from the inside out.
Read more: The Iola Register

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that more than $8.7 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds has been awarded to support 16 vital projects across Kansas. These investments will continue to enhance the quality of life and infrastructure in rural and low-to moderate-income communities.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

Summer travel is in full bloom in Abilene, thanks to Kansas Tourism’s popular Sunflower Summer program. With nearly 2,000 admissions recorded so far, Kansas families are discovering why Abilene continues to earn national accolades as one of the Best Historic Small Towns in America. The Sunflower Summer program, which began July 12, provides free admission for Kansas students and a parent to participating attractions. Abilene is proud to offer six must-see experiences this season.
Read more: KCLY Radio