Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

WPD welcomes Boomer to the Bomb Unit

The Wichita Police Department announced the name for the department’s newest K-9 addition, a 2-year-old golden retriever Boomer. Det. Stephanie Neal selected the name from the top five names that were provided by the public.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Hillsboro begins land bank

Hillsboro on Tuesday established a land bank for properties that have been abandoned, foreclosed, or are otherwise distressed. Its purpose is to eliminate blight, enhance neighborhood stability, create opportunity for affordable home ownership and rentals, and maintain property values. City council members Tuesday voted unanimously to establish the bank. Properties can be purchased or given to the land bank. The land bank can refuse to accept property.
[FULL STORY at http://starj.com]
Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Derby discusses potential property maintenance code

A property maintenance code would prevent one poorly maintained property from negatively affecting a neighborhood. Currently, it was reported, city codes include very little in this regard, though the city has encountered only a few issues over the years where such a code would have been beneficial.

Source: Derby Informer | News

Hays police now enforcing mask law

Having tried more than a month of education, the Hays Police Department will now give tickets to violators of the city’s mask ordinance. “For the most part we’ve gotten great feedback and cooperation, but there are some who just refuse to comply,” said Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler. “I’m not sure it’s fair for this business to lower the number of people they can have inside their business, while this business just packs them in.” The ordinance originally went into effect for people 8 and older on July 27 and expired Aug. 31. The city commissioners last week voted to extend the ordinance until Oct. 5. The commissioners called for enforcement.
Source: News – The Hays Daily News

With one month left to participate in 2020 U.S. Census, Johnson County boasts highest self-response rate in Kansas

With 30 days left to be counted in the U.S. census, Representatives of Johnson County and local municipalities are encouraging their residents to participate, particularly because an accurate census would ensure accurate representation. Local communities would also receive state and federal funding proportionate to their populations. Jody Hanson, director of public affairs and communications with the County Manager’s Office in Johnson County, said the county has been pushing residents to participate in the census through a nearly two-year-old initiative and the Johnson County Complete Count Committee, a collaborative with cities, school districts, chambers of commerce, nonprofits and faith-based organizations. “Johnson County Government is grateful to the CCC (Complete Count Committee) members and all of our community partners who have been helping educate Johnson County residents about the 2020 Census, including our local U.S. Census Bureau office,” Hanson said. “We also appreciate every household who has participated and encourage those who have not to do so in the next 30 days.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Wichita BOE votes to allow fall activities, with restrictions

With a vote 6-1 the Wichita Public Schools board of education voted to allow fall sports and activities, with restrictions. The restrictions include that students participating in “restricted” activities would be enrolled in MySchool Remote for the duration of their season, and two weeks following. Other restrictions include achieving all grading and attendance expectations, students would participate in academic tutoring or other intervention strategies that may be recommended to support academic success and students and coaches would commit to upholding personal hygiene strategies.
Source: KAKE – News

UG reviews STAR bond structure for Homefield’s $350M Schlitterbahn makeover

City officials are bullish on Homefield LLC’s proposal to tear down the blighted former Schlitterbahn structures and erect a $350 million mixed-use development with sporting and entertainment uses. The project seeks $130 million in STAR bonds. Sporting Kansas City co-owner Robb Heineman shared more details Monday evening about his company’s plans for approximately 265 acres including and around the former water park at a Unified Government of Wyandotte County/ Kansas City, Kan., committee meeting.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals

Saline County to offer administrator new contract

Saline County administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes will be continuing in his position after the county commission voted to offer him a contract extension. After an executive session at the commission’s Tuesday meeting, the commissioners voted 5-0 to offer Smith-Hanes an extension to his contract for one year. Smith-Hanes was hired in 2019 and began in December. He said his initial contract was for 13 months, going through December 2020, with an option to extend an additional five one-year terms, which is what the commission voted to do Tuesday. Bob Vidricksen, chairman of the commission, voiced his support for Smith-Hanes and this decision to extend his contract. “He has stepped into a hornet’s nest, unintentionally I might add, with COVID, with the Expo Center, with the radio (project),” Vidricksen said. “We’re lucky that Phil came along.” Vidricksen said that as an organization, as a county and as citizens, the county is in a good place with Smith-Hanes coming to Saline County. “His leadership has been invaluable as far as I’m concerned,” Vidricksen said.
Source: News – Salina Journal

Hutchinson’s Siemens Gamesa lands orders for two Texas wind farms

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has been awarded two new wind projects in Texas that will include, in part, turbines manufactured in Hutchinson. The projects, at yet-undisclosed locations, will have a total installed capacity of 325 MW. The projects will involve 65 of the manufacturer’s SG 5.0-145 wind turbines and a multi-year service agreement. To meet delivery timelines, the turbine nacelles will be assembled both in Hutchinson and the corporation’s Agreda, Spain, facility, according to a company spokesperson.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Moody’s downgrades Wichita’s debt credit rating as city faces coronavirus fallout

On Monday, Moody’s Investors Service released a new credit rating for the city of Wichita that reflects the far-reaching impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak on the local economy. The national credit ratings agency downgraded the city’s general obligation bond debt by one notch, from Aa1 to Aa2. In its report, Moody’s says the pandemic is a key driver for the new rating, particularly its impact on Wichita’s aerospace industry. “We currently anticipate that it will take a number of years for the industry to reach pre-pandemic levels,” the report says.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Cancellation of Greater Andover Days not “an easy decision”

Greater Andover Days, an annual festival held in Andover, has been cancelled. In a statement, the Greater Andover Days Committee said that cancelling the event “was not an easy decision to make” but that the safety of guests and staff was more important. “[The] health and safety of our citizens, staff, volunteers and vendors is our top priority,” the committee said. Additionally, Ottaway Amusement, which puts on the carnival, as well as a number of vendors had already pulled out of the festival. Losing Ottaway and the vendors would have had a huge financial impact on the festival, the committee said.
Source: Derby Informer | Area

New development pursued as part of Derby comprehensive plan

As City Planner Scott Knebel put it, to make sure Derby has all the tools available in its toolbox, mixed use development was an important concept to pursue in the new Vision Derby 2040 comprehensive plan (officially adopted by the city last week). “Mixed Use Development allows both commercial and residential uses to occur within the same development and, in some cases, even within the same building,” Knebel said. Knebel noted mixed use developments are becoming increasingly popular in suburban communities like Derby. With the intent of Vision Derby 2040 to grow the community, he said it made sense to pursue that development method – and citizens agreed.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Saliva coronavirus tests make it possible for thousands of Kansans to get quick tests

One lab has helped seven Kansas universities test tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff for COVID-19 for the fall semester. And all anyone needed to do was spit. Saliva lab work has the potential to dramatically increase testing of asymptomatic Kansans with no known COVID-19 exposure, state health officials say. That’s a critical ingredient for stopping the pandemic. Last week, Kansas Health Secretary Lee Norman suggested the state partner with labs such as Lenexa-based Clinical Reference Laboratory and a second Lenexa company that does saliva and other COVID-19 testing for major hospitals, MAWD Pathology Group. “Anybody can spit into a tube. That would be a game changer,” Norman told a state task force. “That would really open up the floodgates.”
Source: Derby Informer | News

Kansas Department of Commerce now accepting Online Community Development Block Grant applications for Housing, Sewer and Water

The Kansas Department of Commerce is announcing today that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program applications for Housing and Water and Sewer are now available online at kansascommerce.gov/cdbg. The move to online-only applications is intended to simplify the process for applicant communities, as well as streamline the review and approval process for added efficiency. Applications for Housing and Water and Sewer are due September 25 and Community Facilities are due October 30.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Need assistance with grant application and administration? Contact Rose Mary Saunders or Crystal Hinnen.

Municipal Bond Trends for September 1, 2020

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Survey finds Johnson County’s need for affordable housing is growing, but ‘NIMBY’ opposition remains

Increasing affordable housing stock, access to public transportation and access to jobs and investment opportunities are all areas of growth in Johnson County. But although the number of cost-burdened households in Johnson County is on the rise, there remains a pushback from single-family homeowners resisting denser housing solutions that would support those goals. That is one takeaway from the 2020 Human Services Summit last week, when members of United Community Services of Johnson County revealed some initial findings of a countywide study on housing. Led by UCS, Johnson County and local municipalities, the Johnson County Municipalities Housing Study is currently underway. Preliminary findings already reveal some notable trends, particularly regarding teardown-rebuilds and homeowner opposition to multifamily housing.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Reno County working to enable more widespread COVID-19 testing

Reno County health officials hope by early October to have both a system and funding in place to allow testing of residents who are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 for the novel coronavirus. The goal, interim health officer Karen Hammersmith explained, is to have at least 3.6% of the population tested monthly, which is about 500 to 600 people per week. That would provide a more accurate picture of what’s going on in the community and allow officials to use a “gating criteria” recommended by both state and federal health officials for keeping local schools open and potentially reopening nursing homes to the public.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News

Drug dog makes a big difference in St. John

Just seven months on the job and the statistics for criminal activity stopped by St. John’s K-9 officer Glenn, a Belgian Malinois dog certified in narcotics, suspect apprehension, tracking, evidence recovery and patrol work, are worth noting. In the small, rural town of St. John, Glenn, assisted by his handler Police Chief Allen Adams and fellow St. John officers, conducted another car stop in August, bringing the SJPD’s total number of 2020 narcotics cases to 11, which includes three distribution cases.
Source: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS

Attorney general awards local grants in Dodge City

Recently the Kansas Attorney General’s office awarded $51,000 in grants to three Dodge City organizations. Of those organizations were ones providing services for victims of crime. According to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the following grants went to CASA – Children Worth Saving, Inc., in the amount of $8,771. The non-profit organization serves the 16th Judicial District counties of Ford, Clark, Comanche, Gray, Kiowa and Meade.
Source: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS

The Life of William Inge

He was known as the “Playwright of the Midwest,” and being a Kansas native, he something to say about Dodge City. In March 1967, the “New York Times”, quoted William M. Inge; “The fact is, Dodge City and the other rip-roaring towns of the Old West were the Las Vegases of their day in employing the best talent of the East at fabulous salaries.” The “Times” article was about Inge working on his first musical screenplay, “The Lady Gay,” a fiction based on facts about Dora Hand, who was murdered while sleeping in Dodge City Mayor James Kelley’s home.
Source: News – Dodge City Daily Globe – Dodge City, KS

Just days into semester, Silver Lake USD 372 closes after COVID-19 cases

Four school days into the fall semester, Silver Lake USD 372 is closing for in-person learning again after several classified staff tested positive for COVID-19, superintendent Tim Hallacy announced Monday evening. “This small outbreak will impact our ability to properly clean and prepare each of the buildings for students and staff,” Hallacy said in a social media post. “We need some time to work with our partners at the SNCO Health Department and work with contact tracers to ensure that we have a grasp of those who may be impacted.” Hallacy said the district does not know of any cases among teachers or students.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal

Shawnee library temporarily closes after potential termite found in materials

Johnson County Library temporarily closed its Shawnee branch Tuesday, after potentially finding a termite in returned materials. The book return is still open. “Termites love cellulose, whether in wood or paper, so they are a concern for libraries,” says Adam Wathen, Associate Director of System-Wide Services. “The last thing we want to do is send termites home with one of our patrons, so we’re taking an abundance of precaution in this situation.” The branch, located at 13811 Johnson Dr, will undergo an insect inspection and Library materials will be heat-treated. Pending the inspection’s results, the library plans to reopen Wednesday.
Source: Prairie Village Post

The Fed could be locked into zero rates for five years, or even longer

Interest rates near zero likely will stay in place not for months but instead years as the Federal Reserve seeks to re-engineer an economy characterized by low inflation and an uneven labor market. Wall Street is prepping for a return to the post-financial crisis days, when rock-bottom short-term rates prevailed for seven years before the Fed even tried moving them higher. Fed officials have outlined a revised policy in which it now will target “average inflation,” meaning a higher tolerance for inflation above 2% before hiking interest rates from current levels. In the past, the Fed would look to rate cuts when unemployment began to fall as a sign that inflation would not be far behind. In the present circumstances, then, the remaining question will be how deep the Fed’s commitment to inflation will run, what will be considered full unemployment, and how many years that will mean for zero interest rates.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Municipal Bond Trends for August 31, 2020

History revealed during demolition of Irene B. French Community Center in Merriam

Construction workers found an unexpected treasure while knocking down the Irene B. French Community Center in Merriam. The oldest part of the building was a school dating to 1911, and workers found a time capsule inside the cornerstone placed that year. The contents included a “Laws Relating to the Common Schools of Kansas” pamphlet from 1909, a list of those present when the cornerstone was set, and the signatures of students and other Merriam residents, including descendants of the city’s founder, David Gee Campbell, who settled the area in 1864. (Merriam was originally called Campbellton but later renamed for a railroad official.)
Source: Joco 913 News

State grants ’once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to boost broadband — if applicants win race against time

Most rural hospitals have fallen on hard times — but not in Atchison. Atchison General Hospital has seen a growth in the number of patients it served in recent years, and the hospital has even been planning to grow, buying the assets of a shuttered facility in Horton. But there is at least one barrier still remaining, according to assistant city manager Justin Pregont: broadband internet connectivity. While the hospital, like the city itself, is served by AT&T and Vyve Broadband, they both use one set of cables. That means if there is an outage, both the hospital and Atchison residents alike are in trouble if they’re looking to get online. And residents say they are unhappy with the customer service provided by AT&T, while fear about a lack of competition looms.
Source: Leavenworth Times

Merriam resident group calls on city for traffic calming measures along Knox Avenue

A group of Merriam residents last week asked the city to work alongside them for traffic calming measures along Knox Avenue between Johnson Drive and 55th Street. The group of residents submitted a letter for public comment during the Aug. 24 city council meeting to express frustration with speeding on Knox. The 14 residents acknowledged the city’s 2019 and 2020 speed and traffic studies, which came to the conclusion that not enough people were speeding to merit a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Knox Avenue and 57th Street.
Source: Prairie Village Post

New partnership will give Crawford County inmates access to mental health services

After noticing inmates in the Crawford County Jail weren’t getting adequate treatment for mental health issues and substance abuse, a new partnership was born. Crawford County Sheriff Danny Smith, said, “It’s vital that we address mental health.” Crawford County inmates will now have access to a mental health treatment program. Eric Thomason, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Community Health Center SE Kansas, said, “There’s a subset of populations that just aren’t getting adequate treatment and after meeting with Sheriff Smith, we recognized that the Crawford County jail population is one of them.”
Source: KSNF/KODE

Suffering casinos: Kansas loses 20 million dollars in revenue and counting

State-owned casinos in Kansas are losing out on millions of dollars because of the coronavirus pandemic. Compared to last year’s revenues, casinos are down more than 90 million dollars since the crisis began. Casinos closed in March and were shut down for all of April. They began reopening in late May. The state gets 22 percent of what a casino makes in revenue, which means Kansas has lost about 20 million dollars from casinos alone. That money could be spent on paying down debt and infrastructure improvements or to help reduce taxes. As the number of cases started to decrease in May and casinos began to reopen, officials noticed a different trend among pent-up gamblers.
Source: KSN-TV

Skunked dogs have ruff day out, rescued from Bel Aire drain pipe

Two dogs and a skunk spent part of their morning trapped in a drain pipe in Bel Aire on Monday. It happened at 9:45 a.m. The Bel Aire Police Department received a call notifying them there was a dog stuck inside of a drain pipe. “When officers and fire personnel got here they discovered that it was not only a dog, but a skunk,” said Bel Aire Police Chief, Darrell Atteberry. “We are guessing the dog chased the skunk into the drain hole and now they’re both stuck.” Chief Atteberry said the drain pipe is about 50 feet long and because of its short grate exit the Sedgwick County Fire Department was releasing water into the pipe to get the dogs and skunk to move closer to the exit so they could be rescued.
Source: KSN-TV

$330M development planned on Schlitterbahn water park site

Two former soccer club executives are hoping to help fund a planned $330 million redevelopment of the shuttered Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, with sales tax funds. Robb Heineman, Sporting KC’s former CEO, and Greg Cotton, its former chief operating officer, and chief counsel, have proposed building a multisport complex on the site, which was sold in June last year. Unified Government of Wyandotte County-Kansas City officials say the redevelopment would “remove (the) blight and political stigma” that has tainted the park since 2016 when a 10-year-old boy was decapitated while on a ride billed as the world’s tallest waterslide.
Source: KSN-TV

New micro hospital looks to grow closer with Topeka community

Topeka ER and Hospital opened in July, but is looking to grow closer with the community. The hospital is fully-functional with the same abilities as any other major hospital in the country. It has an eight-bed emergency room and six-bed inpatient unit for those who may need to stay for an extended period of time. The hospital can handle anything from cuts and scrapes to heart attacks and major illnesses. “The whole idea behind it is to try and be within the community rather than being a larger that’s hard to get to or feel comfortable with,” Dr. Jared Schreiner, Topeka ER and Hospital Medical Director, said. “We want to be one that blends with the community.”
Source: KSNT News

Mayors Of College Towns Brace For The Economic Impact Of Remote Learning

Across the country, colleges and universities are struggling to decide how to teach students in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some schools have turned to remote learning; some have attempted to reopen campus with various precautions in place. Others are trying a mix of both. For the municipalities that are host to colleges and universities, these decisions can be costly. Whether it’s curtailing the spread of the virus in their communities, or losing the typical influx of student spending that arrives each fall, these cities and towns are bracing for a challenge. In South Bend, Ind. earlier this month, the University of Notre Dame paused in-person classes for undergraduate students until at least Sept. 2 after more than 100 students tested positive for the virus after just a week of classes.
Source: KMUW

Speed and accuracy driving force behind new Johnson County medical examiner’s office

Johnson County cut the ribbon on a 33,000-square-foot medical examiner’s facility in a virtual ceremony Aug. 13. The equipment at the $21 million Olathe building will allow the county to move many lab tests in-house, giving workers faster results. Before the opening, autopsies had been done at a private forensic pathology facility in Kansas City, Kansas. A 2016 vote for a public safety sales tax raised the funds for the new building, located at 11894 S. Sunset Drive.
Source: Joco 913 News

Merriam finds early 20th century time capsule during Irene B. French Community Center demolition

As Denton Excavating crews worked on demolishing Irene B. French Community Center, they stumbled upon a piece of history. A time capsule was found in the 1911 cornerstone — that crews were removing for preservation — of the former Merriam community center. The time capsule included a handwritten roster of the then-elementary school students and Merriam founding families, Hauck said. Photo courtesy of the City of Merriam. “It just kind of brought the whole project full circle,” said Meredith Hauck, assistant city administrator. “From what an important construction project this building was in 1911 and then now, how we’re moving forward to continue to honor history on that site as we move into the next evolution of 5701 Merriam Drive.”
Source: Prairie Village Post

Lawrence agrees to $80,000 settlement with motorist who was shot during altercation with police officer

The City of Lawrence has reached an $80,000 settlement with a Black driver who was shot by a rookie police officer after a traffic stop turned violent. The driver, Akira Lewis, filed an excessive-force lawsuit in September 2019 against former Lawrence Police Officer Brindley Blood, who shot him, as well as additional claims against the other officer involved in the traffic stop, the City of Lawrence, its police department and the police chief. The lawsuit alleges in part that Blood used excessive force against Lewis and that the city and its police department failed to properly train and supervise officers. The city has denied those claims.
Source: LJWorld.com.

Court rules Save Century II petition is not valid, giving a win to Wichita

A Sedgwick County judge threw out a citizens petition calling for a binding vote on whether to demolish the Century II and replace it with new convention and performing arts facilities. Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Commer ruled Friday that the Save Century II initiative is void, delivering a defeat to a grassroots campaign to give voters more control of city-owned buildings such as Century II and the Central Public Library. The judge said the city needs to take no further action to respond to the petition. However, the city immediately put out a statement saying the Wichita City Council is “committed to giving citizens a voice about the future of Century II and the former Central Public Library building and has approved a policy calling for a non-binding vote that will help shape decisions going forward.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Municipal Bond Trends for August 28, 2020

Closing an opportunity gap: Community leaders stress importance of comprehensive broadband plan

At Gina Millsap’s home in Shawnee County, fast and reliable internet speed isn’t the norm. Millsap, CEO of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, said she pays about $80 a month for 5 megabits per second of download speed and 1 Mbps of upload speed — but she doesn’t usually get that. “I measure mine because I used to do IT,” Millsap said, “and I’ve never gotten more than 2.5 (Mbps). That’s enough to stream — most of the time — but there are times when I’m getting less than two, I’m getting close to one.” When her speed drops below 2.5 Mbps, she said, she isn’t able to stream videos and other media. And since she has become a “hybrid” worker — along with many people who have adjusted to at least part-time remote work during the coronavirus pandemic — that broadband speed, or lack thereof, can make her job difficult.
Source: Local News | Topeka Capital-Journal

More than 7,000 businesses apply for COVID grant money

Thousands of businesses across Kansas hope to dip their toe in a pool of $138 million in federal funds for COVID-19 pandemic recovery. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the governor’s office announced more than 7,000 businesses and nonprofit organizations applied for Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Economic Development and Connectivity grants in the first week of the application process that began Aug. 19. Of the 7,000-plus grant applications submitted, more than 5,000 were for Small Business Working Capital (SBWC) grant funds, according to the governor’s office. The SBWC grants are available for Kansas businesses with fewer than 500 employees, according to the state Department of Commerce. The funds can be used to pay working capital expenses such as payroll, rent, mortgage insurance, utilities, inventory and other expenses, according to a commerce department news release.
Source: The Miami County Republic

Salina PD officer shot during pursuit; suspects in custody

A Salina police officer is in the hospital after being shot in the foot during a police pursuit early Sunday morning. Salina police said the pursuit began at 2:32 a.m. when an officer saw a silver 2006 Lincoln Town Car fail to stop at multiple stop signs in north Salina. After the officer attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, it fled. An occupant in the vehicle fired multiple gun shots at the pursuing police vehicle on N. Ninth Street near Thomas Park, with one of the rounds striking the pursuing officer in the foot. The pursuit left the Salina city limits on N. Ninth Street and W. Pleasant Hill Road, with two officers pursuing it into Saline County.
Source: El Dorado Times

Olathe community gathers to say goodbye to Mayor Michael Copeland

The Olathe community and beyond gathered Friday to say farewell to Mayor Michael Copeland, who died last week at the age of 58. A dedicated public servant, he was the city’s longest serving mayor, leading the city for nearly 20 years after several years on the city council. “Mike was a good man, built a lot of good relationships here in the town and worked tirelessly for our community,” said Vernon Avante, a supporter of Copeland’s. His visitation and funeral were held Friday at College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe where family and friends gathered to speak about his legacy. Under Copeland’s leadership, Olathe grew by nearly 50,000 people, added 18 parks and 29 miles of trails.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

County Extension offices look to combine for survival

K-State Research and Extension has been a fixture in all 105 Kansas counties since 1914. Stafford County Research and Extension office, located in St. John, like most other counties has learned how to benefit from resources offered statewide… While not a new idea to Kansas, a combined Extension district is a new idea for Stafford County. It will allow Stafford County to team up with Edwards County and enable Extension agents to work differently and more efficiently than they have in the past. To date, 57 Kansas counties have combined to form 20 Extension districts in Kansas. Extension districts offer a more sustainable, efficient way of doing business in the future, Collins said. “We know you cannot apply yesterday’s methods today and still be in business tomorrow,” said Staub, Stafford County Extension’s agriculture agent. “We know by following the data and outcomes of other districts, new districting will allow us to be forward thinking and relevant in today’s world.”
Source: News – The Hays Daily News

New ambulance provider for Osborne County

American Medical Response (AMR), the nation’s leading provider of medical transportation services, will begin operations in Osborne County on Sept. 1. AMR is making significant investments to build upon the strong legacy of care cultivated by Osborne County Emergency Medical Services. AMR’s Osborne County staffing will initially include one advanced life support ambulance staffed 24 hours a day in Osborne, part-time staffing to cover peak hours in Downs…
Source: News – The Hays Daily News