Municipal News & Jobs

Two of Kansas’ top law enforcement officials talked about recent marijuana raids across the state. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi held a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 1 on recent KBI investigations into illegal THC and marijuana products. Kobach said that KBI agents, alongside local law enforcement agencies, conducted 10 raids across the state at businesses, like CBD dispensaries and vape shops, that were allegedly selling illegal THC or marijuana products on Oct. 1.
Read more: KSN-TV

Dodge City police say they are adding a new tool to help fight crime in the community. The department has announced the installation of Flock camera systems. The cameras are capable of reading license plates and recording the make, model, and color of a vehicle. That data is then compared against law enforcement databases to identify stolen vehicles, wanted persons, Amber Alerts, and missing persons. According to the company, Flock license plate camera systems are in use by over 4,800 law enforcement agencies in 49 states.
Read more: KSN-TV

People in Emporia will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of having a local ice rink in the city. A new holiday attraction is set to open in downtown Emporia later this year in time for the winter season. The ice rink, named the ESB Financial Holiday Plaza, comes courtesy of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Emporia.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Arkansas City Public Schools says its new phone policy is already paying off, with administrators, teachers and students reporting calmer classrooms, stronger connections and more focused learning. The “Disconnect to Reconnect” initiative, launched in August, requires students to secure their phones in Yondr pouches during the school day. High school principal Ryan Taylor said the change has created “livelier” classrooms and boosted morale among staff.
Read more: Local Archives – Cowley Post

Tom Roush spoke about his 37 years as an Iola police officer, including a lengthy stint as community resource officer. Roush retired Sunday. It was a match made in heaven. The term community policing, where law enforcement organizations work in league with community groups and citizens to provide safety and security, was taking root in the early 1990s, just as Tom Roush was finding his niche with the Iola Police Department. It wasn’t long after he started with the IPD that Roush agreed to take on the role of community resource officer.
Read more: The Iola Register

Douglas County commissioners have requested that staff complete more research over the next month or two toward implementing tenant right to counsel, though dozens of advocates called for a vote to launch a program this month. The city and county strategic plan to end chronic homelessness, approved in March 2024, includes a goal of establishing “the tenant’s right to legal representation in Douglas County.”
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The City of Salina is proud to announce that Lauren Driscoll, AICP, Director of Community and Development Services, has been elected President-Elect of the American Planning Association (APA), the nation’s leading organization for professional planners with nearly 40,000 members. Driscoll has served Salina since 2017, leading a department responsible for planning, housing, building services, property maintenance, and civil rights enforcement.
Read more: City of Salina

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 HEAL grant program helps communities revitalize downtown buildings as spaces for new or expanding businesses, housing, arts and culture, civic engagement, childcare or entrepreneurial activities. Submitted projects must show potential to become economic drivers in the community and demonstrate that the space will be occupied by the end of the project. There must be proof of 1:1 matching funds from the building owner that will be required at the time of application.
Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce

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 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.

In the “breadbasket of America,” the grocery store shelves in Moran will now sit bare. With the closing of Marmaton Market, the town’s only grocery store, residents are left without a place to buy fresh milk, vegetables, or meat — a stark irony in a state that feeds much of the world. The loss pushes the Moran community closer to what experts call a food desert, where access to healthy, affordable food is measured not in minutes but in miles. Food deserts are low-income areas where residents have limited access to supermarkets — defined by the USDA as more than one mile away in urban areas or over 10 miles in rural regions. The Mildred Store, about eight miles north of Moran, is now Moran’s closest source of fresh foods. About 19 million Americans, roughly 6% of the U.S. population, live in food deserts.
Read more: The Iola Register

Danny McKarnin, who has worked in the City of Iola’s power plant for 30 of his 34 years as a city employee, appreciates the knowledge he’s gained through the years. McKarnin, 62, retired earlier this month. If there’s one thing Danny McKarnin learned as a longtime City of Iola employee, it’s that he couldn’t help but learn something new every day. “I think anybody out there would agree with me,” McKarnin said. “You learn something new every day. There are so many variations of what you might be working on. And that’s what I liked most about it,” he continued. “There was something different every day.” McKarnin, 62, retired Sept. 19 after a 34-year career with the city, the last 30 as a power plant technician.
Read more: The Iola Register

Shopping carts of belongings abandoned on the street. Tents pitched on trails and in tunnels. Liquor bottles left on park tables. More people facing homelessness are coming to Manhattan, some local officials say, but when they get here they may face higher housing costs and find that they don’t qualify for services. That can leave already desperate folks with even fewer choices. When people can’t find housing, many turn to public spaces, which creates additional challenges for local businesses.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

The Buhler Frolic is an annual event where people make good memories each year, and the community comes together. At the Buhler Frolic, the weather was perfect, and a pleasant atmosphere and laughter prevailed. The day kicked off with a pancake feed breakfast. Then, a bit later, there was the parade down Main Street—the parade along with the middle school and high school bands. The firefighters and police also participated in the parade. Many other businesses also participated in the parade.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Leavenworth officials aren’t backing down from holding private prison company CoreCivic accountable to development regulations even after the U.S. Department of Justice jumped into the case Tuesday. The DOJ filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court case between Nashville-based CoreCivic and Leavenworth, arguing the city was violating the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution. “The federal government’s filing does not change our view of the case or the approach we plan to take,” said W. Joseph Hatley, a Kansas City, Missouri, attorney representing the city of Leavenworth. “The arguments in that filing mirror arguments CoreCivic has previously made, without success.”
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

“I always felt like our facilities in certain aspects were really holding the kids back.” In 2023 Bluestem Public Schools USD 205 passed a $13.5 million bond that improved classrooms, athletic facilities and gave students what Superintendent Joel Lovesee describes as more opportunities that have been a long time coming. After trying to pass a bond to improve the school district several times in past years, Lovesee says he’s relieved to have it passed once and for all. He says with these improvements, USD 205 can finally be on the same playing field as other schools after decades of being overlooked.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

On Saturday, September 13, the Andover Police Department set up patrol vehicles outside of Dillons Marketplace to collect food donations for the Andover Community Food Bank. In doing so, they raised a ton of food – literally. This year was the 11th year of the food drive, bringing in pounds and pounds of food each year for the Andover Community Food Bank. The local food bank is organized and run by the Andover United Methodist Church with the intention of providing food assistance to Andover residents in a caring and respecting manner, according to their website.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

A fight over money designed to help cut crime has the two largest counties in Kansas on opposite sides. The issue is how much money each county will get for programs designed to keep criminals from breaking the law again. One county benefiting from the change is Johnson County, Kansas. Johnson County wouldn’t talk with FOX4 on camera Friday, but they did have a member on the committee that decided how the funding would be allocated. Also of note, the person who developed the formula for this funding was a county employee. On Thursday morning, the Sedgwick County Commission held a special meeting to approve a letter being sent to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, asking her to stop these Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) funding changes.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

Progress on proposed updates to the city of Garden City Neighborhood Revitalization Program was given at a joint Garden City Commission, Finney County Commission and Holcomb City Council meeting on Sept. 16. Danielle Burke, Garden City Assistant City Manager, said for the past several years staff from the city of Garden City and Finney County have been working through updating the NRP, a tax rebate program that’s intended to help revitalize portions of the community.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Johnson County Government today announced it will receive a $21 million Federal Aviation Administration infrastructure grant to support the full reconstruction of Runway 18-36 at New Century AirCenter. The 7,300-foot runway is a critical piece of aviation infrastructure serving corporate, military and general aviation operations across the region.
Read more: Johnson County Kansas

When you think of Kansas, you probably don’t think of mountains — or mountain lions. But in recent years, the number of sightings of mountain lions in the state has skyrocketed. In the past two years, there have been 117 sightings of the big cats in the state, more than the previous 15 years combined, said Jon Beckmann, a wildlife supervisor for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. As mountain lion populations continue to become reestablished in the Great Plains, increasing across the four states that border Kansas, it’s likely that they will rise in this state as well, he said.
Read more: KPR News

Children all across southeast Kansas are learning the ins and outs of dairy thanks to a mobile class. The Southeast Kansas Community Action Program Mobile Dairy Classroom came to Galena early Wednesday to show kids how their milk gets from the farm to their kitchen table. Children from Galena Head Start got hands on experiences with dairy farming, animal care and more. The 30-minute demonstration included a portion featuring Hazel Grace the milk cow getting milked.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The Topeka Fire Department is inviting the public to visit various fire stations around the Capital City as they host open houses. Starting on Oct. 3, the TFD will start holding open houses at different fire stations around the city. The city is inviting the public to visit the 12 different stations around Topeka on various dates through to September 2026. “Everyone is invited to come and take a tour, as well as meet some of the fire staff in their area,” City of Topeka spokesman Dan Garrett said.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

One of the companies leading the charge to deploy safer, smaller, faster-to-build nuclear reactors is hoping to find a site for one in Kansas. TerraPower, cofounded by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, began construction last month on its first power plant of this kind in southwest Wyoming as a $4 billion demonstration project cofunded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Now it is interested in building one in Kansas to generate power in utility company Evergy’s service area.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Another mixed-use development is on its way to Andover. Kentucky-based housing developer Winterwood Inc. has proposed a new development featuring a mix of commercial uses to be built out in phases, according to documents submitted to the city of Andover. It’ll be located across a 19-acre parcel called the Thoroughbred at the southwest corner of Kellogg and Allen, just across from the Buffalo Ridge Apartments.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal – Local Wichita News

An officer with the Hays Police Department was killed in the line of duty over the weekend. Just before midnight on Saturday, police received a 911 call from a woman who said she had escaped a domestic violence incident at a home in the 2000 block of E. 21st St. She told officers her significant other had rammed her vehicle with his truck as she tried to flee. She ran to a nearby home for help. Around 1:55 a.m., while officers and a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were setting up a perimeter near the suspect’s backyard in the 2200 block of Downing St., a single shot was fired from inside the home, striking one of the Hays officers. The officer was flown to a regional hospital, where he died from his injuries just after 4 a.m.
Read more: KSN-TV

Police didn’t provide an age for the threat maker but described the caller who left a voicemail indicating that there was a bomb attached to an airplane at the airport as “a juvenile male.”
Read more: KWCH

Downtown Liberal was once the economic center of the community when the traffic was calm and the parking allowed the district to be pedestrian friendly. Later the avenue was changed to two lanes with the State of Kansas designated the road as Highway 83. But that was changed when the highway was diverted to the east side of Liberal, but the roadway was never returned form four lanes to two lanes.
Read more: Leader & Times

Vehicle owners in Barton County may only face the hassle of paying for new or renewed tags once a year, but for Barton County Treasurer Jim Jordan and his team, the financial strain of providing that underfunded state-mandated service is year-round. “County treasurers across Kansas are mandated to provide vehicle tag and title services,” Jordan said. “But the monies provided by the state to the county for this work do not match the cost of providing that service.”
Read more: Great Bend Post

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.

Many Kansas hospitals, especially in rural parts of the state, are in trouble. Hospitals are sounding the alarm as long-term sustainability approaches crisis levels with challenges stemming from a shortage of nurses and doctors, rising operational costs, and declining payments from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance programs.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Attendees at a Savonbrug community conversation were greeted with good news Tuesday — the community will receive a $700,000 grant to upgrade its electric infrastructure.
Read more: The Iola Register

Overland Park officials worry the thousands of saplings planted to replace ash trees along city streets in the past couple of years might not be getting the care they need. That could threaten the long-term health and longevity of the tree canopy, City Forester Bailey Patterson warns.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Many folks who don’t call Maize home don’t know where Wichita ends and the suburb begins. Maybe it’s because of different school district boundaries, or the long expanse of retail making its way north. Or simply the street’s name. As Maize experiences a population boom, the city’s top official reveals strategies for attracting retail development and addressing increasing traffic.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

Synopsis: A limited liability partnership is not a "limited partnership" that must obtain approval under K.S.A. 17-5908 in order to establish a swine production facility in a county. Cited herein: K.S.A. 17-5903; 17-5904; 17-5908; 56-1a101; 56a-101; 56a-1001.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Patrick Herd, Executive Director of Garden City Downtown Vision, headed up the project, and said the idea behind it was to turn it into a destination for visitors. To interact with the mural, visitors can scan the QR code to the side of the mural where they can choose between Snapchat or a web link to view the AR.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

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.

Stops in Claflin and Hoisington were on the itinerary Tuesday afternoon as the Barton County commissioners continued their Travel 389 initiative. The program, aimed at giving the commission the chance to get out and meet face to face with residents and businesses across the county’s 389 miles of roadways, started last week in Hoisington.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

The Norton Police Department is showing off its new police K9. K9 Kilo has officially joined the department. He is partnered with his handler, Officer Cody Land. Norton police posted the announcement to its Facebook page Monday, and included two photos of Kilo with Officer Land, posing in front of their police vehicle, and pose he did.
Read more: KSN-TV

Comanche County law enforcement officials Monday asked for the public’s help investigating an incident in which 10 bullets were fired into the unoccupied, parked vehicle of the local school board president. President Kelly Herd, and other members of the school board in southwest Kansas, have been embroiled in controversy that led to the suspension of superintendent Ty Theurer pending an inquiry into allegations he sexually harassed and inappropriately touched a student.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Wichita City Council members sparred over the enforcement of the city’s homeless encampment ordinance Tuesday. The conversation came after Wichita Mayor Lily Wu questioned whether the ordinance could be more strictly enforced downtown. The ordinance allows for rapid removal of homeless encampments by eliminating the need to post notices to vacate. However, a homeless person can not be charged under the ordinance unless a shelter bed is available. Numerous council members pushed back against stronger enforcement of the ordinance in the city’s core area, citing the limited number of beds at Second Light, formerly known as the Multi Agency Center.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Popular home improvement network HGTV recently released its picks for the 40 most charming small downtowns in the U.S., and one city in Kansas made the list. “In creating this list of the best small downtowns in America (and it was tough to narrow this list to 40), we looked for vibrant towns that invite you in and encourage you to stay and explore,” the Sept. 17 article reads. Abilene — a Kansas city with a population just over 6,400 and located about an hour and a half from Wichita — gained a spot on HGTV’s list. The city is most known as the hometown of former President Dwight Eisenhower, and also attracts visitors to the historic Seelye Mansion and the Abilene & Smokey Mountain Railroad.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The city of Wichita is considering a city license for hotels and motels that would also prohibit them from charging by the hour. It’s the city’s latest effort to crack down on what it deems are nuisance properties, especially along South Broadway. “Not only do we have questions or complaints about issues of violence at some of the hotel/motels, or crimes or prostitution, we also have complaints about trash,” Assistant City Attorney Jan Jarman said. Hotel and motel owners would have to pay a $200 fee for the city license.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

After several meetings that included revisions and input, the Girard City Council approved changes to its burn ordinance. Monday’s regular meeting featured a lengthy discussion on which burn ordinance to pursue and what needed to be included. Following several killed motions, the council approved allowing recreational burning from one hour after sunrise to midnight along with allowing open burning from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset.
Read more: – Morning Sun