Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Harper County farmer discusses pros, cons of having land near wind farm

HARPER COUNTY, Kan. With Reno County commissioners falling short of securing the unanimous vote it needed to move a proposed wind-farm project forward . Eyewitness News spoke with a farmer in Harper County about his experience living near a wind farm like what was proposed in southeast Reno County.

That farmer discussed the pros and cons of living near such a property, but overall agrees with many gathered at a meeting in Hutchinson Thursday night that the Reno County’s decision not to move forward with the project is the right move to make.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Bond Report: Treasury yields inch higher ahead of busy week for central bankers

U.S. Treasury yields rose on Monday ahead of meetings this week by policy makers for the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan, as investors see if central bankers will push for easier monetary policy as the global economy comes under pressure.

What are Treasurys doing?

The 10-year Treasury note yield TMUBMUSD10Y, +1.37% rose 1.6 basis points to 2.110%, while the 2-year note yield TMUBMUSD02Y, +1.75% rose 2.8 basis points to 1.879%. The 30-year bond yield TMUBMUSD30Y, +0.59% was up 1.6 basis points to 2.610%. Bond prices move in the opposite direction of yields.

Bridge project outside Larned among KDOT bids awarded

The Kansas Department of Transportation recently awarded four bridge repair projects in south-central Kansas, including a $1 million project in Pawnee County that’s expected to take almost four months.

PCI Roads LLC of Saint Michael, Minnesota was awarded the project to repair Bridge 29 on the K-19 spur, crossing the Arkansas River on the south side of Larned.

It was one of two projects awarded to PCI in the county.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

KDWPT feels ‘substantial’ funding dip after flooding closures, damage

Rain and flooding “seriously affected” more than half of Kansas’ 28 state parks, and some parks on the state’s eastern half remain closed or partially closed.

It’s premature, said Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Secretary Brad Loveless, to quantify the financial hit to the parks until the water recedes and campsite cancellation refunds become clearer. In a month or two, he said, they will have a better handle on lost revenue and the cost of repairs and renovation.

‘The Common Ground’ mural project kicks off Saturday

Michael Toombs couldn’t help smiling as he looked at the work being done Saturday morning on a mural project on the north side of the Law Enforcement Center, in the 100 block of S.E. 3rd.

What had been a blank white wall was being transformed into a colorful mural that will brighten up the entire area on the north end of downtown Topeka.

But more importantly, Toombs said, the mural project is bringing police officers and Topeka residents together.

City considering extra cent of sales tax for another district

Some people really dislike paying an extra penny or two of sales tax.

That became clear as Capital-Journal Facebook readers reacted mostly negatively last month when the city of Topeka formed its sixth Community Improvement District, in which customers pay increased sales tax and the revenue goes to help developers pay renovation or development costs.

“No thanks!” Charles Criqui commented on the newspaper’s Facebook page. “They can pay for their own renovations.”

Wichita seeks to build six-level parking garage, bus station near new ballpark

Wichita plans to build a six-level, 543-space parking garage and bus station near its new ballpark, according to city documents. It’s projected to cost as much as $17.5 million.

The new development is envisioned as a “Delano Multimodal Center and Park-N-Ride” that would cut down expected traffic congestion in Delano and downtown. It would provide people “a place to park their vehicles and go to work, enjoy the downtown, Delano District or patronize an entertainment venue by using the Q-Line, Transit buses, scooters, bicycles or walking,” a city staff report included with the plan says.

Detailed plans for the garage and bus station have not been publicly discussed or approved as part of the Ballpark Village Master Plan, which is supposed to guide decisions about infrastructure and development near the ballpark. The existence of a plan to add the garage and bus station was first reported last week.

(Read more: Local News |)

Local summer food service programs create communal spaces

The basketball courts neighboring Lee Richardson Zoo and The Big Pool were at once warm, lazy and busy in Thursday’s early afternoon as several dozen children and parents turned a Meals on Wheels distribution site into a time to be outside and be together.

Garden City USD 457 and Holcomb USD 363 both coordinate food service programs for children and adults during the summer, providing hot and sack breakfasts and lunches almost every weekday through June and July. Each reach hundreds of hundreds of children each summer.

Kansas A to Z: ‘Q’ is for Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

STAFFORD — The East and West merge just 30 miles west of Hutchinson, Kansas — quite literally.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge — 30 miles west of Hutchinson and 35 miles southeast of Great Bend — covers the area where the tallgrass prairies of the east and shortgrass prairies of the west meet and mingle. That merger, along with the area’s salt marsh wetlands, creates a haven for many migratory birds, mammal and reptile species, and more that is unique to central Kansas.

Kansas A to Z: ‘P’ is for Plaza Theatre

OTTAWA — Taking a drive down the Historic Main Street in Ottawa, a marquee sign sticks out over the sidewalk. You may be surprised to see the latest movie available in the small town.

Ottawa is home to the Plaza Cinema, a movie theater that holds the distinction as the oldest cinemas in the world.

The Plaza opened on May 22, 1907, but was originally named The Bijou. It was also called The Yale and The Crystal before opening as The Plaza in 1935.

Pittsburg Public Library eliminates overdue fines

PITTSBURG — Did you get sucked into your book, enchanted by the words within and now you are several days late on your library book?
As of June 1, Pittsburg Public Library has eliminated overdue fines. The Pittsburg Public Library Board of Trustees approved the new policy on overdue, lost or damaged items on May 8.
“We have been talking about this for quite a while, because we do recognize that —and we’ve heard from kids themselves — they just don’t come to the library or avoid it because of the fear of accumulating library fines,” PPL Director Bev Clarkson said.

Clarkson said the library wants to take that away.
“It’s been a trend in the library world to do this,” Clarkson said adding, she’s done a lot of research on it and found that libraries across the country are going “fine free.”
“We are hoping anyone that is holding on to late materials to return them, people who are afraid to bring them back can have a fresh start at the library,” Clarkson said.

(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)

Westwood City Council directs staff to draft non-discrimination ordinance; Roeland Park updates NDO language

After neighboring cities Mission Woods and Westwood Hills passed their own non-discrimination ordinances in recent months, the Westwood city council on Thursday directed city staff to begin drafting an ordinance of its own.

Such ordinances, which provide legal protections for LGBTQ+ residents and employees that are not offered under current federal or state law, have now been passed by six Shawnee Mission area cities: Mission Woods, Westwood Hills, Mission, Merriam, Prairie Village and Roeland Park.

Mission Hills has been considering an NDO as well.

Shawnee Mission administration sends apology letters to student plaintiffs in 1st Amendment case

As part of compliance with the settlement agreement approved by a federal judge in April, the Shawnee Mission School District has issued letters of apology to students who sued the district last year for violating their 1st Amendment rights during the National School Walkout protests in spring 2018.

Plaintiffs received letters by certified mail in recent weeks with a letter signed by Superintendent Michael Fulton. The copy of the apology is as follows:

On behalf of the Shawnee Mission School District, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt apology to you for the incidents that took place around the April 18, 2018, National School Walkout. As educators, it is our responsibility to help students find their voice, and our actions last spring, as detailed in the settlement agreement, fell short of that expectation. We are committed to working with students to support their first amendment rights to free expression and will support that commitment through Board of Education policy and staff training.

Motoring Monday – Dog Parks in Kansas

Are you scratching your head about where you can take your dog to experience a fun day of play? There are more than 20 dog park locations that offer plenty of open spaces for your pup to release some energy and have a ball. We are highlighting a few of them in today’s Motoring Monday.

Starting in northwest Kansas and located off of Old U.S. 40 in Hays – the Friends of the Hays Dog Park offers two separate fenced-in areas depending on the size of your furry friend. There are shelter houses and doggy drinking fountains to help keep your entire pack cool.

(Read more: Kansas Transportation)

Some Lawrence leaders express concern about proposed utility rate increases; average utility bill would be more than $100

Utility rate hikes proposed for 2020 would increase the average Lawrence household’s bill to about $103 per month, and some city leaders are asking whether such a steep increase is actually necessary.

City utility bills are made up of charges for water, solid waste and stormwater, and rates for all three services would increase as part of the budget recommended by City Manager Tom Markus. The recommended budget calls for an 8% rate increase for water, a 3% rate increase for solid waste and a 3% rate increase for stormwater. The utility rate increases would amount to a $78 annual increase for the average resident, or an approximately 6.7% increase over this year.

Newton animal-control officer helps shelter pets affected by flooding

Monty wasn’t used to being caged. He’d meow. He wanted attention, and he got it.

“Monty was very loving and wanting to be cuddled,” said Jennifer Burns, City of Newton animal control officer who volunteers with the Kansas State Animal Response Team (KS SART), which sets up animal shelters during disasters. “Everyone got to hold Monty at some point in the day.”

Monty was one of nine cats sheltered during flooding evacuations at the end of May in Manhattan. In all, they took in nine cats, two dogs and two parakeets at a church in Manhattan that’s perched high on a hill. The Red Cross also used the same church to shelter people. The people were on the main floor, while the animals were in the basement portion in a community-room setting.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Arkansas City Police: bikes and skateboards forbidden on downtown sidewalks

Arkansas City police officers this summer will make an effort to conduct foot patrols downtown to increase communications with business partners and the community.

Their first foot patrol Wednesday yielded some concerns from the business community about bicycles and skateboards on the downtown sidewalks, according to an ACPD Facebook post.

Police observed one bicyclist and one skateboarder on the sidewalks and discussed the city ordinance with them.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Expocentre gets new name

Stormont Vail Health will pay Shawnee County more than $2.57 million over 10 years to acquire sponsorship naming rights for the former Kansas Expocentre under a contract county commissioners approved Thursday. Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook voted 3-0 to adopt the agreement, which arranges for the facility for the next 10 years to be known as the "Stormont Vail Events Center."" This is really a big day for our community, and we have a lot to celebrate," …

Newton creates housing incentive program

Tuesday night the Newton City Commission created a housing incentive program — one designed to help reduce the risk of losses by builders of spec homes that stay on the market.Under the program, the city will provide builders with assistance to pay interest payments on new homes — homes that, according to a housing study and a work group, often sit on the market so long that interest payments on loans for materials and construction eat up the profits seen by builders …

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

Kansas Supreme Court finds new K-12 education funding law constitutional

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the state’s newest education funding plan is constitutional.

The plan, which was approved in April, increased K-12 education funding by roughly $90 million.

The years-long saga began when four school districts sued Kansas in 2010. Before Friday, the state Supreme Court had issued six rulings directing lawmakers to increase the state’s spending in a little more than five years, so that aid to public schools now tops $4 billion a year. The court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases into the future wasn’t sufficient because it hadn’t accounted for inflation.

(Read more: LJ World)

City attorneys’ education never stops …

There is a large contingent of city attorneys being educated and updated today in Wichita. Twice a year, the City Attorneys Association of Kansas puts on a CLE (continuing legal education) seminar to keep municipal attorneys up-to-date on the latest developments in case law, legislation and best practices.

Gardner approves $43K study to decommission police station on Main

Special to The Gardner News
With the new Gardner Justice Center set to open in the summer, the city is already putting into gear efforts to decommission the current police station on Main Street.

During a council meeting June 3, Michael Kramer, public works director, recommended the city enter into an agreement with Treanor Architects, a KCMO based firm, to conduct a needs assessment for the decommissioning of the police station.

Kramer said that per previous studies and council direction, the police station is intended to be demolished for future re-development in accordance with the downtown development plan with the garage portion of the facility relocated to another city facility.

(Read more: Gardner News)

Opponents continue to seek a moratorium on wind projects

ERIE – Residents and landowners who do not have leases with Neosho Ridge Wind roasted commissioners Thursday night who approved agreements last week for the project.

“Gave it to us good, didn’t you, Mrs. Klaassen?” Kim Norris said, addressing Commissioner Gail Klaassen. “You fooled us all and you have deeply disappointed all of us.”

“Congratulations to the two commissioners who voted for the wind energy travesty,” Ed Spielbusch said. “It is completely mind-boggling to me that you are able to vote this project in.”

Opponents continued to seek a moratorium on wind projects, and Commissioner Paul Westhoff made a motion for one. After receiving a second, the commission considered tabling it, then voted it down.

Tax benefit districts considered for southeast Marysville

Marysville City Council is considering development of a tax benefit district to finance improvements to 11th, 12th and Keystone roads.

The council came to a consensus Monday to discuss the possibility of a tax benefit district with affected residents during a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Marysville City Building.

Mayor Carla Grund said residents who live along the three roads have been notified by mail of the meeting.

A tax benefit district raises taxes in a specific area to offer that area improvements such as better streets.

(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)

Despite new law, you won’t be able to vote wherever you want in the mayoral election

A new law to allow you to vote at any polling place in the county won’t be ready for this year’s elections — and Democratic lawmakers want to know why.

The law, proposed and shepherded through the Legislature earlier this year by Sedgwick County officials, is now on hold, waiting for Secretary of State Scott Schwab to write the rules and regulations needed to implement it.

And Schwab has told county election officials across the state that it won’t be in time for city and school board elections in August and November.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

USDA to relocate two research agencies to KC area, bringing hundreds of jobs to animal health corridor

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A two-state proposal from Kansas and Missouri will bring hundreds of federal jobs to the Kansas City area after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to relocate two research agencies to the region.

Kansas City’s bid beat out 135 other proposals from 35 different states including a pitch from the Manhattan region. Kansas and Missouri submitted a joint proposal to the USDA. The agencies include the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. A decision on whether to locate on the Kansas or Missouri side of the Kansas City metro is expected in July. All told, the relocation will bring nearly 600 high-paying federal jobs to the region.

The relocation puts USDA employees closer to farmers and other agricultural interests including the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which stretches from Manhattan to Columbia, Missouri.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

K-State receives $2.5M grant for railroad center

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration on Wednesday announced a $2.57 million grant for K-State.

K-State’s Rural Railroad Safety Center is among the 45 projects that received a total of $326 million in grant funds for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program.

K-State will lead the project with partner institutions — the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; the University of Florida; Pennsylvania State University, Altoona; and California State University, Chico. The schools will focus on railroad industry workforce development and safety research.

(Read more: Atchison Globe Now)

The Geary County Sheriff invites the public to a town hall meeting

Daniel Jackson ( Photo courtesy of the Sheriff’s Department )

Geary County Sheriff Daniel Jackson Jr. has invited community members to the Geary County 4-h / Senior Center on South Spring Valley Road Monday evening ( June 17th ) for a Town Hall meeting.

The sheriff will introduce the command staff of the Sheriff’s Department to the community and share his vision for the direction of the department, the changes that have been implemented, those he would like to see implemented and the reasons behind them.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Reno County Commission rejects wind farm

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KAKE) –

The Reno County Commission has denied the permit for a wind farm to be built in the southern quadrant of the county.

The vote had to be unanimous and Commissioner Ron Hirst was the lone vote against the wind farm.

For months, residents had expressed concerns about the wind farm’s impact on property values, nuisance issues to homes in the area and some even brought up health concerns for wildlife.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Developer, property owner sue City of Lawrence over denial of downtown apartment project

The developer behind a proposal to build a five-story apartment and retail building in downtown Lawrence is suing the city, claiming city leaders bowed to pressure from residents when rejecting the project.

The lawsuit claims that decision was unlawful and asks the court to reverse the city’s denial of its project.

In May, the Lawrence City Commission unanimously denied a certificate of appropriateness to Chicago-based developer Core Spaces to build the Hub on Campus Lawrence at the northeast corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets in downtown Lawrence and determined the project did not meet downtown design guidelines.

The developer and property owners, Core Lawrence Massachusetts LLC, Allen Realty Inc. and Allen Press Inc., filed the lawsuit in Douglas County District Court last week. The lawsuit alleges that the commission’s decision was “unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious” and therefore unlawful, and asks the court to reverse the decision. The project was strongly opposed by many Lawrence residents, which the lawsuit notes.

ACPD releases crime map to public

The Arkansas City Police Department has rolled out a new way for the public to easily stay informed about crime in Arkansas City.

The police department now has a publicly accessible online crime map called Community Crime Map, which can be accessed at www.communitycrimemap.com or bit.ly/accrimemap. All citizens are encouraged to look at this map, which also can be found in the left navigation bar in the Police Department section of the City website at www.arkansascityks.gov.

The Community Crime Map analyzes crime data, presents them in map form, alerts citizens about crimes in their area and allows Ark City police to quickly alert the public about crimes as they occur.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Kansas A to Z: ‘M’ is for B-29 Bombers of the Prairie Museum

PRATT — Pratt has a strong historical connection with World War II and the B-29 Bomber.

The Pratt Army Airfield was opened in 1943 north of Pratt on an open prairie and became the first training facility in the world for the new B-29s as they rolled off the assembly line in Wichita. Over 23,000 Army Air Corp flight and ground crew members trained at the airbase from 1943 to 1946 when the airfield was closed. Among those who trained at Pratt were Col. Paul Tibbets who piloted the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Maj. Charles Sweeney who piloted the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

The base is now the Pratt Regional Airport and has an extensive industrial park.

Toland hears Hutch area needs workers

Industrial executives or representatives from Reno County and the vicinity told Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland Wednesday that their greatest need is workers.

“I heard what I hear across the state, which is workforce, workforce, workforce is what is limiting our businesses from growing. There’s no easy solution to this challenge. It’s going to take a lot of creativity and looking to applicant pools that might have been overlooked in the past and doing recruitment that we haven’t done in the past,” Toland said after the approximately hour-long roundtable at the Hutchison/Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

“The intensity of the workforce discussion was higher here than it usually is. I’m not sure how to analyze that,” Toland said, comparing what he heard here to some other stops around the state.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Proposed Manhattan budget currently features 3.06 mill increase, Commission wants options for further reduction

Manhattan Finance Director Bernie Hayen presents the proposed 2020 city budget to the Manhattan City Commission, Tuesday, June 11, 2019. Commissioner Jerred McKee was present at the meeting, just not seated yet. (Nick McNamara/KMAN)

Manhattan City Commissioners requested more consolidated information on revenues compared to expenditures as well as impacts of further reducing the mill levy impact of the proposed 2020 budget. The Commission met for its second budget work session Tuesday.

Currently, the 2020 budget is proposed to amount $164.48 million. That’s an increase by $8.54 million from 2019 — though around 80 percent of that increase is the result of additional cash balances and not tax increases. City staff worked that amount down from a $9.28 million increase presented at the first session. As it stands, Manhattan would fall about $300,000 below the state-imposed tax lid.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Barton County to use federal money to replace signs

Great Bend Post

The Kansas Department of Transportation opened bids on May 22 for the High Risk Rural Road Signing Project in Barton County. Four bids were received and the low bid of $104,700 was submitted by Martin Outdoor Enterprises based out of Pittsburg, Kansas.

Barton County Engineer Barry McManaman says the county used to handle this project and was reimbursed through federal money funneled through KDOT, but the federal government took away that option.

“They allowed us to use county forces to do the work and then they would reimburse us,” McManaman said. “My understanding is when the state and federal government got to looking at past history, the feds determined the state should not have been allowing that situation. A force account agreement would only allow an emergency response.”

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

KNEA calls on school districts to increase teacher pay

TOPEKA – The 20,000-member-plus Kansas National Education Association is strongly urging local boards of education to increase teacher salaries after the Kansas Legislature approved funding for the state’s 286 school districts during the 2019 legislative session that lawmakers believe will meet constitutional requirements for equity and adequacy.

“We’re calling on every district to invest in teachers and those staff members who work most closely with our students,” said Mark Farr, Kansas NEA president. “We have funding certainty, and our educators deserve to be compensated for their dedication to our students and the profession. Teachers are professionals who shouldn’t need to work two, and sometimes three jobs to make ends meet.”

(Read more: Hiawatha World Online)

Neighborhood near Big Ditch has basement flooding problems

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) –

“It’s 1500 square feet down there and every bit of it’s underwater, or was,” said Odie Edwards about her basement in West Wichita Wednesday.

The Big Ditch saved their neighborhood from flooding. But now neighbors are dealing with another problem caused by so much rain. In at least one neighborhood just east of the Big Ditch the water came anyway, as the water table rose to new heights.

“They’re tearing out the sheet rock and all the mold, the mold set in down there and they’re getting that out of the house,” Odie said, describing the work a half dozen volunteers are doing on her home.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Wichita’s abandoned Joyland Amusement Park could get makeover

Wichita’s abandoned Joyland Amusement Park is poised for a makeover.

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission has recommended approval for a plan that would transform the eyesore property into an outdoor event center and paintball range, The Wichita Eaglereports. The proposal heads to the City Council next month.

The amusement park opened in 1949 and has been vacant since 2006. Gregory and Tina Dunnegan bought the 57-acre site in 2018 for $198,000 and plan to move their tent rental business to the property. In addition to private events, they plan to host outdoor festivals on site as well as feature temporary amusement rides.

(Read more: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals)

Fund one and more follow, county learns

Having previously tapped rarely discussed funds brimming with hotel and liquor tax receipts, county commissioners faced the inevitable Monday, hearing from others making additional claims on the same money.

First up was Families and Communities Together, which since 2012 had been distributing revenue from the county’s special alcohol tax through its substance abuse prevention coalition.

Two weeks ago, commissioners unanimously voted to give the fund’s balance of slightly more than $4,000 to a new alcohol and drug treatment agency, Restoration Center of Marion, which had asked for $12,000.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Split vote OK’s wind farm plan

In a meeting that lasted more than 4 hours Monday, county planning and zoning commissioners approved Expedition Wind’s application for a conditional use permit by a 4-2 vote.

Planning commission members Derek Belton, Dwight Flaming, Jim Schmidt, and Glenn Thiessen voted in favor of sending the plan to county commissioners after hearing company officials discuss the proposal and answer questions from commissioners. Duane Bair and William Kroupa voted against the plan.

Expedition’s development plan passed on a 5-1 vote with Bair, Belton, Flaming, Schmidt and Thiessen in favor and Kroupa opposed.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Kansas A to Z: ‘M’ is for Mined Wildlife Area

Once the site of extensive strip mining, the Mined Land Wildlife Area (MLWA) of southeast Kansas today includes roughly 14,500 acres that have largely been reclaimed by nature, providing not only an ideal environment for fish, birds and game animals, but for human visitors as well.

Mining in the areas scattered throughout Crawford, Cherokee and Labette counties that are now designated as MLWA began in the late 1800s. The first tract of land donated and dedicated as a nature preserve was in 1926. More than half of the current MLWA, including more than 8,000 acres, was donated to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism by the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Co. in 1981.

Today, hundreds of water-filled pits once used for mining are now managed for fishing. The MLWA features about 1,500 acres of public waters and some of the best fishing in the state, with largemouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, rainbow trout, walleye, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, wipers, bullhead and warmouth among the varieties that can be found.

Kansas A to Z: ‘O’ is for Kansas Oil Museum

EL DORADO — The Kansas Oil Museum, 383 E. Central, continues to attract visitors. It is one of the largest museums in the state with a focus on the oil industry and includes a large indoor exhibit hall along with a 10-acre outdoor area.

The museum also preserves and interprets the history of Butler County, from the earliest days of the Native American tribes and pioneers, to small town and ranch life in the 1900s.

There is a large research library and extensive archival and photographic collections.

Hundreds of USDA jobs headed to KC after ‘united effort’ by Kansas and Missouri

Hundreds of lucrative federal jobs are headed to the Kansas City area after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans Thursday to relocate two research agencies to the region.

A two-state proposal from Kansas and Missouri beat out 135 other bids to become new headquarters of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, two of the USDA’s principal research agencies.

It’s a major win for policymakers in both states who worked closely on a collaborative bid, a sign that the long-term border tensions on economic development may be easing.

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

City of Topeka to offer free vinyl siding removal workshop

Former PBS TV show host Bob Yapp on Friday evening and during the day Saturday will teach a free public vinyl siding removal workshop being sponsored by the city of Topeka’s planning department.Molly Hadfield, media relations coordinator for Topeka’s city government, said the workshop is important because it helps lay the ground-level work that is necessary for the city to establish an area as a Garlinghouse Show Homes National Historic District.

Doggone confusing: Reports, postal changes differ

After months of claims that dogs are affecting Marion mail carriers’ ability to do their jobs, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act indicate Marion postal workers have filed no dog complaints in two years and only three in four years.
However as recently as this week Marion police reported ticketing a dog owner after a postal worker said the owner’s dog was dangerous and running free.
According to documents released by the USPS, there have been 13 dog reports under the jurisdiction area of Marion post office from 2016 to 2019.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)