Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Kansas secures $957,000 reimbursement in natural gas price fixing case

A price-fixing lawsuit filed by a Wichita aviation company and other natural gas customers that climbed to the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in recovery by the state of Kansas of more than $950,000 from companies that manipulated prices in the early 2000s, officials said Tuesday.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt contributed to the prevailing argument before the Supreme Court that federal law didn’t preempt authority of states to enforce its antitrust laws against price fixing of natural gas in retail transactions.

In 2015, the Supreme Court decided in Oneok v. Learjet that broad applicability of antitrust law supported a conclusion of no federal preemption. That allowed plaintiffs to continue the suit and prompted a settlement providing recovery of money overpaid because of illegally inflated prices.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Aviation company to create up to 450 jobs in Salina

A major airplane maintenance company is coming to Salina with immediate plans to employ 50 workers by this fall and up to 450 employees within three years.

The largest hangar at the Salina Regional Airport, Hangar 959, has been leased to 1 Vision Aviation, a Sioux City, Iowa-based FAA-certified aircraft repair and maintenance station. The company does maintenance, repair and overhauls on commercial and corporate airliners, as well as private planes, crop dusters and other general aviation products.

The company’s general aviation division has both maintenance and avionics capabilities that will be expanded into a new operation in Salina beginning in July. The company plans to grow its job numbers as new airline business is contracted.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

JCPRD’s Meadowbrook Park opens in Prairie Village, marking realization of vision more than a decade in the making

Back in 2008, with the prospects for the long-running private golf course continuing to be able to operate on the land flagging, Meadowbrook Country Club leaders and Johnson County officials began discussing the possibility of the county buying the land for use as a public park.

The Johnson County Park and Recreation District had long ago identified that northeast Johnson County was underserved with county park land, and that opportunities to bring new parks and programming to the area were limited given the fact that square mileage inside the 435 loop was essentially built out with no significant undeveloped land left.

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Johnson County government signs 20-year agreement for KCP&L renewable energy program

The list of local government agencies that have signed on to a KCP&L program that will provide them with power from renewable sources continues to grow.

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners last week approved a 20-year agreement with KCP&L to join the Renewables Direct program. Through the agreement, public entities and large private customers will receive power from a new wind farm. Details about the location of the farm and when it will go online have not been finalized, but Johnson County reports that KCP&L says the wind farm “may be in operation by 2021.”

(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

New K9 On The Job For Greenwood County

After a lifetime of preparation, K9 Gilo (pronounced with a hard “g”) is ready to get to work as the newest member of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. The two-year-old Dutch Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix dog and his handler, Deputy Mike Baumgardner, have completed obedience training and are actively patrolling the county.

(Read more: Eureka Herald RSS)

Moving Forward in Eureka

For the last year, the Eureka community has been busy moving forward since it was devastated by a tornado for the second time in two years. It was the evening of Tuesday, June 26, 2018 when an EF3 tornado traveled from the southwest corner of town, moving northeast at 152 mph, leaving many damaged homes, businesses and Eureka Junior Senior High School in its path. The storm grew quickly in intensity and left almost as quickly as it began. Over 150 properties were damaged, with over a dozen that were total losses. There were eight injuries reported, one critical.

(Read more: Eureka Herald RSS)

Hutchinson Zoo gets fundraising support after flooding

When a nonprofit group asked for donations to help the Hutchinson Zoo recover from flood damage, it hoped to raise $10,000 in a month or two.

Supporters passed the goal in five days.

A Facebook fundraiser organized by Friends of the Hutchinson Zoo started June 18 and passed the $10,000 goal Saturday.

The Hutchinson News reports the zoo has been closed since May 21 because of flooding. The animals are safe in temporary housing but playgrounds and five buildings were damaged.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Longtime Kansas Rep. Jan Meyers dies at age 90

TOPEKA, Kan. — Longtime Rep. Jan Meyers, the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House from Kansas, has died.

Meyers died Friday at the age of 90 at a nursing home where she was living. The cause of death was not announced.

A native of Nebraska, Meyers lived in Overland Park, Kansas, while representing the state’s 3rd Congressional District from 1985 to 1997. Before that, she served in the Kansas Senate from 1972 to 1984.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday ordered flags flown at half-staff at the Capitol complex to honor Meyers.

(Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF)

3rd earthquake in 4 days reported in northwest Kansas

ROOKS COUNTY — Another earthquake shook portions of northwest Kansas early Monday.

The quake just before 2 a.m. measured a magnitude 2.6 and was centered just north of the Ellis County line in Rooks County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Monday’s quake follows a pair of stronger earthquakes in Rooks County. The U.S. reported a 4.5 magnitude quake Saturday morning and a 3.3 temblor Friday. Both of those were centered northwest of Plainville.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Ellis, Trego, Rooks counties organizations awarded $165,000 in grants by HCF

HCF

The Heartland Community Foundation (HCF), which serves Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties, recently awarded over $165,000 in spring grants to area organizations across the three counties.

The following organizations received funding through the foundation’s Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Funds for Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties, the Kansas Health Foundation Fund, the Stockton Community Fund and the Trego Legacy Fund.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Price hands USD 308 keys to Folks

Outgoing Hutchinson USD 308 Superintendent Gary Price wore formal dress and his successor, Mike Folks, took a front-row seat in the audience for an 11-minute school board meeting Monday night.

“Here we are, the last meeting,” Price told the school board.

“This is my 46th year as an educator, and 30 years as a superintendent,” Price said. Contributing to those 30 years were Price’s stint as USD 308 superintendent from 1995 to 2000, and his return in 2017 for two years at the helm.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

USDA: More than $2 billion in federal loans available for rural projects

Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has more than $2 billion remain available this year to invest in community facilities and infrastructure projects in rural areas across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.

The news came as Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley released the names of 40 rural communities that are receiving a total of $50 million for projects that will benefit 631,000 rural residents.

“Modern and accessible education, health care, public safety and municipal services are foundational to quality of life in any community,” Baxley said in a news release. “Under the leadership of President [Donald] Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities to build the facilities in which these essential services are located, and to improve the infrastructure these services rely on to operate in rural America.”

Residents asked to avoid contact with Shunganunga Creek

Because water from the city’s sanitary sewer system may have gotten into Shunganunga Creek, Topeka’s city government is asking residents to avoid contact with that creek from S.W. Washburn Avenue west to the point where it enters the Kansas River.

Residents are also advised to keep pets out of that creek, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator.

“This issue is due to recent heavy rain events and a mechanical issue at one of our pump stations in Central Park,” Hadfield said. “The stormwater infrastructure has been struggling to handle the excess water from recent rain events and saturated soils, known as inflow and infiltration, in the sanitary sewer system. This excess stormwater combined with sanitary flows may be causing areas of the system to overflow into the Shunganunga Creek.”

A broken van, a struggling family. A community — and a commissioner — step up to help

Jonathan Hunter spends all his time in a wheelchair and is dependent on his family.

But spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy doesn’t keep the 22-year-old from doing what he loves — listening to music, eating ice cream and going to the park, among other things.

Jonathan’s parents, Melody and Ed Hunter of Derby, rely on a wheelchair-accessible van to take their son everywhere. But their 1997 Dodge Caravan breaks down often.

Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell, a family friend, decided to fix that. He started a fundraiser to buy the family a more reliable van, and the community rose to the occasion — exceeding the $15,000 goal in just two weeks.

(Read more: Local News |)

Winds up to 111 mph damaged Derby. NWS surveying whether storm spawned a tornado

After strong winds reported to be up to 111 mph caused damage in Derby early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service surveyed whether the storm spawned a tornado.

The Wichita office of the weather service said officials would be in Derby on Sunday afternoon to conduct a survey to determine whether damage was caused by extreme straight-line winds or a tornado. A 111 mph wind gust with sustained winds of 76 mph was recorded at around 5:09 a.m. in the southeastern Sedgwick County town at a Weather Underground station, according to NWS local storm reports.

But the National Weather Service later reported that a damage survey team found 75 to 90 mph straight-line wind damage primarily to softwood trees across southern and southeast Sedgwick County. The storm hit between about 4:54 a.m and 5:06 a.m., and left a path of damage about half a mile to a mile wide that stretched along a nearly 11-mile path from northwest of Peck to Derby.

“We think the 111 mph gust was too high,” the Wichita branch of the weather service said in a tweet. “As winds this strong would have caused more extensive structural damage.”

(Read more: Local News |)

To modernize parking enforcement, Lawrence city manager proposes increasing cost of parking and tickets downtown

City leaders agree that the coin-fed meters and other outdated devices used to enforce parking rules downtown need to be modernized, but how much parking rates and tickets should increase next year to fund that modernization is up for debate.

City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget for 2020 proposes increasing parking meter, garage and permit rates, as well as the fine for parking tickets. If ultimately approved by the City Commission, the increases would help replace pay stations in the city’s parking garages and the technology used by parking enforcement staff for writing tickets, which would also give downtown visitors the option to pay for parking using an app.

Proposed raise for Lawrence city commissioners would make pay among highest in state

If a proposed pay raise for Lawrence city commissioners is approved, it would move commissioners from among the lowest-paid elected city leaders in the state to among the highest, trailing only Wichita, which has about four times the population of Lawrence.

An increase in pay for Lawrence’s five city commissioners is on the table after commissioners have gone 20 years without an increase in pay.
City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget for 2020 is proposing the first salary increase for city commissioners since 1999, but commissioners disagree on how much salaries should go up, the Journal-World previously reported.

Junction City looks to renew special sales tax for debt relief

Junction City officials will look to renew a special sales tax for debt relief purposes.
City Finance Director Lindsay Miller presented an option to place a special question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot during Tuesday night’s city commission meeting. The city’s 1 percent sales tax for debt services is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020. If the sales tax is approved by voters, it would be renewed for 10 years. The sales tax brings in an estimated $3.5 million annually, Miller said.
“If it does not pass, the city will need to pursue other sources of revenue,” Miller said.

Kansas A to Z: ‘X’ is for Kansas Expocentre

TOPEKA — Rock concerts, horse shows, sporting events and demolition derbies are among the wide variety of entertaining activities offered by Topeka’s Kansas Expocentre.

“Went there for monster trucks and had a wonderful time,” Danielle Goodwin wrote Jan. 5 on the Expocentre’s Facebook page.

“The circus was amazing and I always have fun watching hockey there,” Topekan Mimi Murphy commented April 4 on that page.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

UPDATED: Peabody sandbags downtown; Marion water contaminated but deemed safe

Volunteers, mainly from Peabody fire department, sandbagged a block’s worth of downtown stores Saturday afternoon after an unrelenting thunderstorm dropped nearly nine inches of rain and sent water into as many as a dozen businesses there.

Meanwhile, in Marion, low levels of dangerous microcystin toxins from blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir were detected late Friday in Marion drinking water, which still is deemed safe but is being monitored closely.

At midday Saturday in Peabody, floodwater still had not receded on S. Olive St. and S. Maple St., and water continued vigorously bubbling up from manhole covers as sandbaggers protected stores against renewed flooding from an additional inch or more of rain forecast for Saturday night and Sunday.

(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

American State Bank announces $5,000 contest winner

American State Bank & Trust held its very first “Growing for Good” contest this spring and has announced the winner. The city of Macksville will receive a $5,000 prize to help improve its city park.

“The idea of the contest was to help improve a Kansas community,” stated bank CEO Greg Quarles. “We believe that the best way to be a community bank, is to be a part of the community. We live here and work here too, so Kansas communities are important to us.”

The contest was open to anyone in the state of Kansas to submit ideas for how they could improve their communities.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

President Trump OKs disaster funds for parts of Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration covering more than half of the Kansas’ 105 counties.

The federal assistance approved Thursday will provide service and funds to help recovery from severe weather that began on April 28 and included tornadoes and flooding.

The declaration provides funding for emergency work, repair and replacement of damaged facilities and mitigation of hazards.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

USDA, DHS formalize transition $1.2 billion NBAF research facility

Two agencies of the federal government signed an agreement outlining the construction-to-operation transition of the $1.2 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility under development in Manhattan, Kansas officials said.

Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security completed a memorandum formally spelling out how the departments would transfer the animal research complex from DHS to USDA.

Under terms of the deal, DHS is to lead construction and commissioning of the facility. USDA will assume responsibility for operational planning and eventually take over management control of NBAF. Construction is on scheduled and on budget for completion in December 2020. Commissioning of the lab is expected in May 2021, when ownership is to transfer to USDA.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Kansas jobless rate at 3.5 percent, up 0.2 percent from year ago

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Kansas climbed to 3.5 percent in May, a 0.2 percent rise from one year ago.

The jobless rate across the state was steady from April to May at 3.5 percent, but above the 3.3 percent mark reported in May 2018.

Average monthly job growth in Kansas during the past three months stands at 2,100, based on analysis by the Kansas Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Summer is the deadliest days for teen drivers

Summer, which officially arrived Friday, is regarded as the deadliest days of the year for teen drivers.

Memorial Day to Labor Day, when students are out of school, is a time period known as the 100 deadliest days for young, inexperienced drivers.

A study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) shows the average number of deadly teen vehicle crashes climbs 15% during the summer compared to the rest of the year.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Kansas A to Z: ‘W’ is for Waterfalls at the Geary County Lake

GEARY COUNTY — Travel and landscape photographer Mickey Shannon, of Wichita, has visited most of the 80 waterfalls in Kansas on his list.

In a 2017 blog on “There’s No Place Like Kansas” website, Shannon ranked Geary Lake Falls No. 1.

Located south of Junction City, Geary County Falls is formed by the outlet from Geary State Fishing Lake and is only active in the spring or after a heavy rain. Like most spillway falls in Kansas, when the water is running low, they nearly dry up.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Kansas Humanities grant supports Kansas Rural Center Town Halls

TOPEKA – Humanities Kansas recently awarded $4,000 to the Kansas Rural Center (KRC) in support of the “Kansas Future of Farming & Food Town Halls.”

KRC will host a series of five town hall meetings across the state in July and August focused on engaging the public in conversations about the future of food and farming, climate and energy issues, and rural revitalization, using stories from our past and present to address future solutions with a holistic and inclusive approach.

“Humanities Kansas supports projects that create dialogue about important issues,” said Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This series of public events asks scholars, policy experts, producers, and community members think critically about where we’ve been and where we are going with food and farming in Kansas.”

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Lenexa plans to condemn, acquire properties along Sante Fe Trail Drive for road, trail project

Lenexa is making public improvements to a stretch of Sante Fe Trail Drive and the intersection at West 95th Street.

City leaders this week authorized the acquisition and condemnation of land along the project area, which provides easements and rights-of-way for construction and utility work.

The project involves the construction of turn lanes, replacing traffic signals, relocating drive approaches, replacing storm and drainage facilities, and constructing a multi-use trail.

County, Overland Park agree to extend micro-transit pilot to Farmers Market

Beginning July 6 people who want to go to downtown Overland Park on Farmer’s Market Saturdays will have a new transportation option. The city and county decided this week to extend a micro transit pilot project to provide Saturday service to the market.

Micro transit is a relatively new concept being explored by the county as an alternative to the bigger fixed-route bus service. Basically it works like the Uber or Lyft ride-share programs. Users hail a ride with an app or a phone call and are picked up at a nearby intersection. The difference is that they ride in a multi-passenger van rather than a car. Cost of a ride is $1.50 during the test period.

Will they come if you build it?

For years, (Abilene) parents have told stories of driving teams to towns all across the state for weekend tournaments. They seem to mention they are gone almost every weekend from early May until mid July traveling 1,000s of miles busing kids to either a baseball or softball tournament.
Funny thing – they never mentioned staying at home and playing in a tournament.
Why is this? In a time when the City of Abilene and the County of Dickinson County are scratching their heads and wringing their hands trying to figure out an economic developmental solution – why not look no further than why families are traveling away from Abilene so often in the summer months?
Maybe a solution could be that if Abilene had suitable facilities and a person willing to host the tournaments, it could be an easy monitorial impetus the city needs for the foreseeable future. Other cities and towns of Abilene’s size have successfully proven it can be done.

KDOT approves plan for OCCK to manage Abilene public transportation

The Kansas Department of Transportation has given its approval of OCCK taking over the city of Abilene’s public transportation, Interim City Manager Jane Foltz told the Abilene City Commission at a study session earlier this week.
The city of Abilene primarily provides demand-response transportation as well as curb-to-curb service through the Parks and Recreation Department.
Foltz, director of the parks department, said the process of OCCK taking on the public transportation has been a long one.

Budget proposal to increase city commissioner pay from $9,000 to $38,000 sparks debate among city leaders

City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget is proposing the first salary increase for city commissioners in 20 years, but commissioners disagree on how much salaries should go up.

Budget and Strategic Initiatives Manager Danielle Buschkoetter told the commission at its meeting Tuesday that the recommended budget would increase salaries for commissioners to $38,000. Buschkoetter said there wasn’t a good benchmark for what other communities paid their elected leaders but that the increase would bring City Commission salaries more in line with what Douglas County commissioners make annually. While most commissioners said they thought the raise was needed so that the commissioner pay did not prohibit some people from running for office, they were also concerned about increasing it so much in one year.

Kansas leader talks rural growth

WATHENA — A Kansas leader is on a tour to assure constituents and businesses that he won’t approach their needs with a “Let them eat cake” attitude.

Visiting Marie Antoinette’s Gluten Free Bake Shoppe and the Dairy Barn family restaurant on Thursday afternoon in Wathena, Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers emphasized how the Democratic-led administration of Gov. Laura Kelly wants to dispel the notion that the state government cares only for Topeka, Johnson County and other high-population communities.

“For both Governor Kelly and myself, that’s really important. We want to be out in the country and on a regular basis,” Rogers said. “Every time we hear a suggestion, we’ll have some staff look into that … Some we might be able to change with regulations, some we might have to have legislation, and some may not be possible; some may be federal, but then our job is make sure that we send it to our federal delegation so they understand this is something that’s hindering rural Kansas.”

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

City unveils new wastewater treatment plant

After nearly four years of planning and construction, the new Emporia Wastewater Treatment Plant was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.

The plant has been converted to an Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge — or IFAS — system to allow the city to comply with new environmental regulations. The City of Emporia first became aware of the upcoming regulations — which are set to take effect in 2022 — in 2015.

This is the first system of its kind in Kansas.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Company wants Kansas, other states to join the 14 that allow lemonade stands without permits

Grab those extra pennies and dimes, because it’s almost the official start of summer, which means kids are getting ready for peak lemonade stand season.

There’s one thing that could stop them from opening up shop on those hot neighborhood streets though: the law.

Only 14 states allow unpermitted lemonade stands, according to Country Time. So if you’re not in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island or Connecticut, those adorable kids selling you lemonade without permits are breaking the law.

But one lemonade mix company wants to change that.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

What’s next for the USDA relocation

It was hurry up and wait when it came to the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June 13 announcement that hundreds of jobs would be coming to the Kansas City area as a result of the relocation of two agencies.

While the selection process that started in the fall is now complete, the agency appears to be moving quickly on its relocation to Kansas City.

The USDA plans to move two agencies to Kansas City: the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

(Read more: Kansas City Business News)

13-year-old girl working to get a Kansas town its first dog park

PAOLA, Kan. —

A young girl’s desire to play with her dog has put one Kansas town on the path to getting its first dog park.

Annabelle Shaw is not a city planner. In fact, the 13-year-old hasn’t started high school yet, but her Boston terrier, named Baxter, motivated her to lay out plans for Paola’s first dog park.

“He’s pretty much the reason I started this, so he could have room to run and play,” she said. “He can’t be able to run out because there’s cars everywhere.”

Right now, the closest dog park is about a half-hour away in Olathe.

(Read more: KMBC)

Country Stampede rebrands to Heartland Stampede, moves to Topeka in 2020

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – Country Stampede, known for bringing country music’s biggest stars to Manhattan, Kansas for over two decades, has permanently relocated to Topeka to partner with Heartland Motorsports Park.

Announced today during a press conference, Mayor Michelle De La Isla confirmed the music festival has rebranded to Heartland Stampede and the 2020 music festival is set to take place June 25-27, 2020 at the Heartland Motorsports Park with country superstar Luke Combs revealed as its first headliner.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Wichita joins World’s Largest Swimming Lesson

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Summer starts tomorrow and Wichita pools are already open. But do you know how to swim?

If not, join the City of Wichita at the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson from 11:30-12 p.m. today.

It’s a worldwide event that thousands of people are expected to participate in.

Organizers said it’s a way to break a Guinness World Record, but there’s also an important message.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Sneak peek of the Wichita school district surplus auction

Wichita’s USD 259 is auctioning off lots of things it no longer needs at a surplus auction next Tuesday at the old Dillons at 13th and Waco. Items to be auctioned include power tools, musical instruments, appliances, furniture and other used goods. … Click for video »

Butler County CERT growing over time

EL DORADO — The images are striking — a woman in shorts battling a small fire as she is consumed by smoke, a group of people using a blanket to move what appears to be a body. Those images, created by Butler County Emergency Management, grab attention.

But closer inspection reveals that the people within were not responding to a major emergency — for one, most of the people in them were smiling. And then there are the captions — what viewers are looking at was a training exercise.

Just like the photos, the training is a bit different as well. It was not first responders learning how to deal with an emergency — it was average joes. People interested in what is called the Community Emergency Response Team.

Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce releases the 2019 Kansas Wheat Festival schedule of events

2019 KANSAS WHEAT FESTIVAL “Official” SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

July 9 – 13, 2019

*Schedule is subject to change*

(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)

Arlington community members organize workshops to address food access issues

Food is a necessity. Humans need it to survive. But just because something is a necessity, doesn’t always mean it’s easily accessible.

Areas without ready access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthful whole foods are defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as food deserts. There is one such area just southwest of Hutchinson, but with the help of grants, community leaders and residents, a group is hoping to turn that around.

Kelsi Depew moved to Arlington in 2013 and became increasingly concerned about the city’s access to fresh, healthy food options.

“So I helped start a farmers market, and it helped a little,” she said. “There’s also a monthly food bank, but we are still considered a food desert by the USDA.”

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Chetopa City Council’s cleanup efforts continue

City officials are continuing their efforts to clean up Chetopa.

The Chetopa City Council in recent months has been cracking down on code violations around town to try to make the city more appealing to people driving through. City Clerk Toni Crumrine said Wednesday city officials want to encourage people to make their properties look nice and neat and in good repair so that visitors don’t get the impression the city is full of run-down properties.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

USD 108’s Infinity Project proposal is funded Program will be funded in-part by $450K grant

A 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant will bring $450,000 to USD 108 over the next five years. The program, designed for students in grades 7-12, will begin in September.

21st Century awards were announced last week by the Kansas State Board of Education. The competitive grants are awarded for a period of five years with a minimum award of $50,000 and a maximum award of $100,000 per year.

(Read more: Backroads News)