Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Study: Kansas rural roads among America’s most deadly

A new study of nationwide deadly car accidents says Kansas has some of the worst in the nation.

Country roads in Kansas rank in the top ten of the most deadly streets. The report shows our rural roads are three times as fatal as our interstate highways. For every 100 million miles cars travel on rural roads, there are about 2.5 deaths.

The highway patrol says there are several factors that contribute to this.

“Not speeding on those rural highways” is a simple solution says Kansas Highway Patrol Lieutenant Adam Winters. “I know it’s really easy to do sometimes. Make sure they’re watching the crossroads as they come up to them for other vehicles that are approaching the highway, and just making sure they’re being cognizant of other vehicles that are on the highway.”

He says you should adjust your speed while driving on back roads, especially if they are paved with dirt or gravel, but most importantly: wear your seatbelt.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Lawrence residents ask city to reconsider requirement that property owners pay for sidewalk repairs

This spring, 243 homeowners got a letter from the city telling them to fix their sidewalks or else have them condemned and fixed by the city at their expense.

On the receiving end of one of those letters was Sarah Farthing, who since then has joined with other residents in Northwest Lawrence to ask the city to halt the implementation of its recently established sidewalk maintenance policy. The policy, adopted by the Lawrence City Commission last year, requires property owners to fix sidewalks that run adjacent to their homes or businesses that are deemed hazardous.

The city considers a sidewalk hazardous if it has a vertical separation of more than half an inch or a horizontal gap or defect. Farthing told the commission at its last meeting that the sidewalks in her neighborhood weren’t causing problems and that the city needed to redefine what constitutes a hazard.

Mayor, council to discuss privatizing Topeka Zoo under FOTZ

Things are going pretty well at the Topeka Zoo, says zoo director Brendan Wiley.

That is one reason why this is a good time for city officials to discuss potentially privatizing the zoo’s operations under the direction of the nonprofit Friends of the Topeka Zoo, Wiley said this past week.

The zoo’s staffing wouldn’t change if that happened, he said. The facility would simply operate under a different governance model, which would accommodate growth without the risk of putting an additional burden on taxpayers.

Kansas A to Z: ‘D’ is for Dalton Gang Hideout museum in Meade

Located at 502 S. Pearlette St. in Meade is the Dalton Gang Hideout. It includes the former house of J.N. Whipple, who built the house in 1887 and was the husband of Eva Dalton, sister of the members of the infamous Dalton Gang of train and bank robbers from the day, according to the Hideout website.

The tourist site includes a reconstructed barn and 95-foot long tunnel that the gang reportedly used to avoid capture by law enforcement.

Kansas A to Z: ‘C’ is for WaKeeney Christmas

Hailed as the Christmas City of the High Plains, the holiday spirit can be discovered year-round in WaKeeney.

The city’s annual tree lighting and downtown Christmas display is known as the largest between Kansas City and Denver, but even a trip to the city in the summer will bring reminders of Christmas.

A vacant lot located in the 100 block of Main Street has been transformed into the WaKeeney’s North Pole Park, featuring permanent holiday decorations.

“WaKeeney, the main thing we’re known as is the Christmas City of the High Plains year-round,” said Cathy Albert, director of WaKeeney Travel and Tourism. We only have the decorations up Thanksgiving to New Years, but the North Pole is there year-round.

Scott City okays guidelines for RVs, trailers on city streets

The Scott City Council has passed an ordinance establishing stricter guidelines for RVs and trailers parked on city streets.
It is illegal to park the following on a street for more than two hours during any 24-hour period:
•any truck with a gross vehicle weight of more than 24,000 pounds.
•a bus, truck, tractor, farm tractor, trailer or semi-trailer, vacation travel trailer, motor home, boat/boat trailer, snowmobile, or utility trailer.
Vehicles and trailers may be parked for up to 12 hours during a 24-hour period under the following circumstances…

(Read more: Scott County Record RSS)

Wastewater released into creek at Russell to relieve overwhelmed sewer system

Heavy rainfall has overwhelmed many sewer systems across Kansas pushing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to monitor the release of untreated wastewater into nearby creeks, including by the city of Russell.

Rich Krause, Russell public works director, said the release was necessary last week as water continued to overwhelm the sewer system and homes were being flooded with water from the sewer system.

While water bypassed treatment systems, Krause said it was pumped from a manhole on a city street and would have been mostly rainwater.

Russell is not alone when it comes to this problem.

“Great Bend and McPherson dealt with some issues with their collection systems with the additional rainfall,” according to Jeff Crispin, Hays director of water resources.

(Read more: Hays Post)

Elected officials to take up artificial turf replacement, public camping

Artificial turf placement and camping on public property are among topics local elected officials plan to take up this coming week.

The Shawnee County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Monday in its chambers in Room B-11 of the County Courthouse, 200 S.E. 7th, while the Topeka City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th.

Commissioners will consider approving a proposed $778,319.50 project budget to place artificial turf at the Lake Shawnee Girl’s Softball Complex. They initially considered that proposal May 23 but deferred action on it until Monday’s meeting.

Nickerson flooding considered worst in decades

NICKERSON – Flooding in Nickerson was bad in 1993, said Gordon Roth. “This one’s a little worse,” Roth said Friday.

He drives a grain truck for Central Prairie Co-op, which has been unable to sell fuel virtually all this week because of flooding.

Some residents on the north end are battling groundwater coming up through their basements, while residents on the south side are fighting rising groundwater plus floodwater, according to Nickerson City Clerk Robin Schmitt.

“The whole town had groundwater issues, and then flooding hit,” Schmitt said.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Doubt surrounds Amtrak future in Kansas

Passenger trains will keep rolling through rural communities in Kansas, for now. But Amtrak still hasn’t committed to operating the long-distance routes that connect small towns to larger cities long-term.

Earlier this year, Congress agreed to an additional $50 million to keep the Southwest Chief, which travels from Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in several small Kansas cities, running through September.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and a handful of his senate colleagues then pressed Amtrak for answers about future plans for long-distance routes. The rail service responded with a letter this week.

(Read more: Scott County Record RSS)

Thirty-three Kansas counties part of latest federal disaster declaration

Fifteen more Kansas counties are on the growing list eligible for federal emergency disaster assistance due to a series of tornadoes, officials said Saturday.

Gov. Laura Kelly said the state’s emergency management division was notified the federal declaration, endorsed by the administration of President Donald Trump, was broadened to include 33 of the state’s 105 counties. The latest adjustments reflected damage caused by tornadoes, but more counties could be added to the list.

Former Fontana treasurer accused of misusing funds

FONTANA – Deborah Sell, the former treasurer for the city of Fontana, was charged Thursday, May 23, in federal court with wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

According to court documents, Sell devised and executed a scheme to defraud the city by using city funds to pay her personal expenses. The scheme allegedly began sometime prior to July 2015 and continued until she left her position with the city in September 2017.

The criminal complaint accuses Sell of using checks issued by the city to pay for personal expenses without lawful authority. She is also accused of using a debit card for a bank account owned by the city to withdraw cash for personal expenses.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

Hotel and convention study results released

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Visit Hutch, in partnership with the City of Hutchinson, has released the Hotel/Convention Center Market Study in an 84-page report.

In February, the city engaged with Hospitality Real Estate Counselors to produce the $15,000 study with the objective to determine the market support for a proposed Hotel/Convention Center in Hutchinson. The declining number of conventions at the Atrium Hotel and Convention Center is what led the city to look into a potential new project. LeAnn Cox with the Hutchinson CVB says the report brought about much of what they expected. “We were not surprised by the results. We feel like they did a very thorough job of evaluating all potential sites,” Cox said. The study included three distinct areas for the proposed project: Downtown Hutchinson, the Kansas State Fairgrounds and the K-61 Corridor.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Beef Empire Days celebrates industry at heart of Finney County

For the 51st year, the greater Garden City area and beef industry workers from Kansas and surrounding states are taking part in Beef Empire Days, an annual celebration and promotion of an industry that has long stood as the lifeblood of southwest Kansas.

Over the next week, locals will enjoy cattle and carcass judging, rodeo and cattle working events, hamburger feeds, socials and more, but the event, and the industry itself, goes beyond beef, said Stacey Carr, Beef Empire Days executive director.

New nonprofit aims to increase local housing options

In the midst of Garden City’s ongoing housing shortage, a new regional nonprofit hopes to use new or underutilized tactics, including rehabilitating abandoned properties and accessing federal programs, to build more units in town to meet local demand.

The High Plains Housing Development Corp. formed last fall, earned its 501(c)3 status last January and is currently moving through preliminary steps to be an asset to Garden City and, ultimately, southwest Kansas, said executive director Michael Snodgrass.

Leavenworth County tornado damage exceeds $26 million

A tornado that ripped through southern Leavenworth County damaged more homes than initially reported. And preliminary figures for property damage exceed $26 million, according to an emergency management official.

The tornado, which first touched down in neighboring Douglas County, entered southwestern Leavenworth County on Tuesday evening. The tornado then traveled northeast across southern Leavenworth County.

Only minor injuries were reported in Leavenworth County.

Representatives of the Leavenworth County Appraiser’s Office had completed damage assessments by Friday.

(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

In the Kansas town that was home, the astonishing story of Eisenhower lives on

They still like Ike in Abilene.
And why not? He executed the military plan that turned the tide of World War II in Europe, stopped Hitler and ultimately brought the war in that theater to an end. He did it by getting big-ego military leaders to work together by subjugating his own, by believing in his troops, by being willing to take all of the blame if it failed and none of the credit if it worked.
That he was the driving force behind the biggest invasion modern generations have known is made more stunning by knowing his hardscrabble story began not in Kansas but in Texas and ended not in Kansas but in Pennsylvania.
But Abilene is where Eisenhower’s story is laid out for anyone to see and, as the 75th anniversary of D-day approaches, to remember.

City of Wichita declares dangerous water conditions and river closing leading up River Festival

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The City of Wichita released via social media it’s plan to deal with debris and dangers water conditions ahead of the 2019 Wichita River Festival by closing the Arkansas River until further notice.

Central Kansas has been inundated with heavy rains for the last month with waters from other parts of Kansas that feed into the Arkansas, also heavy with precipitation, have made for dangerous and choppy waters along the big and little Arkansas.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

‘LAKE NICKERSON’: Residents dealing with historic flooding in Nickerson

“I’ve never seen it this bad,” Nickerson resident Brandi Chase said.

While some call it flooding, others call it something else.

“To me, it feels like a lake,” she said. “All this is underwater and the alley back there.”

Inches of water flooded downtown Nickerson Thursday morning.

It was enough water, Taylor Faulkner said she was too scared to drive her car through it.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Sedgwick’s new fire chief hopes to build department

SEDGWICK—“I thought it would be interesting.”

Eight years ago Zane Hansen had a tiny seed of interest that grew into a career that includes a full-time position in Newton and now the responsibilities of fire chief in Sedgwick.

Hansen worked in the aircraft industry when he started volunteering with the Sedgwick fire department in 2011.

“Just to get on you have to have an EMT,” Hansen said.

(Read more: Newton Now)

Topeka mayor praises firefighters’ work battling raging blaze

Mayor Michelle De La Isla praised Topeka firefighters Thursday for what she described as their “heroic work” Wednesday evening battling a raging blaze that did significant damage in the 100 block of N. Kansas Avenue.

De La Isla also gave kudos to Topeka police for the job they did providing traffic control and keeping the area secure.

“It was a very impressive situation,” she said. “The fire on Kansas Avenue was just a lot of work, and we had our teams there a long time working to mitigate this.”

Some Mound City residents had 10 minutes to evacuate after flash flooding

Flash flooding from storms on Tuesday did not give some residents of Mound City, Missouri, much time to evacuate. Click Link for Video…

(Read more: KMBC)

Geary Community Hospital reduces staff

Geary Community Hospital officials laid off 22 members of the hospital workforce on Thursday.

That information was confirmed by Hospital CEO Joe Stratton, who noted GCH has struggled financially for approximately two-and-a-half to three years. “This last winter and spring we went through an operational assessment with a company called Community Hospital Corporation. ”

Stratton said there was a lot of study within that assessment. “And then we also had to face the fact with their findings and recommendations some of what we already knew, that we were overstaffed if you will in comparison to our volumes. When you look at the payroll we were paying versus the volume and productivity we had to face the reality unfortunately, and humbly, that we just can’t continue like we have in the past.”

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Property owners urged to provide flood damage info

Cowley County Emergency Management is collecting information for documentation purposes as the first step in the process to try to obtain funding to assist individuals who have experienced uninsured damage to private property as a result of the recent flooding.

Money or any other assistance with repair or cleanup of private property has not yet been made available by FEMA or any other government agency, and emergency management cannot guarantee that assistance will become available at a later date.

Information can be submitted via an online form available at www.cowleycounty.org/flood-damage, or by calling the EM office at (620) 221-0470 during normal business hours.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Funding available for watershed best management practices

Beginning July 1, 50 county conservation districts will have access to $300,000 through a new partnership between the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, and Kansas Department of Health and Environment Watershed Management Section and Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies.

This partnership will provide funding for the installation of best management practices within 19 high priority watersheds across Kansas. The goal is to promote a reduction of phosphorous in the identified targeted areas and assist local farmers and cattlemen in making water quality improvements to their operation.

Eligible BMPs may include relocation of feeding pens or pasture feeding sites; off-stream watering systems; implementation of rotational grazing plan; riparian area fence; terraces/waterways as part of a longterm no-till system; no-till incentives; implementing nutrient management plans; riparian buffers; and cover crops.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Dangers lurk: City, health department warn of flood, standing water hazards

The City of Arkansas City and the City-Cowley County Health Department are teaming up to warn citizens about the hidden risk and dangers of flood waters.

“We are aware of instances of children playing in standing water or flood water,” City Manager Nick Hernandez said. “This is a bad idea for many reasons, and parents should be vigilant in preventing it.”

Winfield city officials have also made public announcements about staying staff during flooding, as the region copes with 15 to 20 inches of rainfall since May 1.

“Swiftly moving water from the Walnut River could potentially carry harmful bacteria, as well as electrical current, as not all junction boxes were able to be relocated or deactivated prior to the flooding,” the city posted to Facebook to explain why it closed off the fairgrounds during the first round of flooding.

(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Historic flooding leaves Nickerson streets looking more like canals

NICKERSON, Kan. Historic flooding in Nickerson has made getting in and out of the Reno County town difficult.

As of Wednesday a road closure remained for truck traffic from K-14/K-96 and Wilson Road exit to the west end of Nickerson. A Facebook post from Reno County Emergency Management says “Nickerson residents can come to and from on K-96 freely,” And, “at this time, there are no evacuations in Reno County.”

As the town hopes for an extended, calm, clear break, Nickerson City Clerk Robin Schmitt says rumors seem to be rising with the floodwaters.

Among those rumors is that a sandbag dyke north of town broke, meaning the city could see up to 10 more inches of flooding.

(Read more: KWCH News)

NE Kan. dam expected to fail, send floodwaters over U.S. 36, Golden Eagle Casino

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Kansas Dept. of Agriculture photo

A dam south of Sabetha, Kansas is expected to fail this afternoon, sending floodwaters downstream on the Delaware River.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a flash flood warning for southwestern Brown County, east-central Nemaha County, and northeastern Jackson County.

At 2:30 this afternoon, emergency management officials reported the failure of the dam a mile south of Sabehta was imminent.

(Read more: Junction City Post)

Local leaders talk about mental health access, breaking down barriers and creating awareness

Mental health and access to proper treatment are community issues that need to be addressed at all levels — from schools and law enforcement to homes and in state legislation — said several local leaders on Thursday in a panel discussion. And while progress is giving leaders in Johnson County hope for the future, there is still work to be done.

These were the top themes that emerged during the a roundtable discussion on mental health hosted by Rep. Sharice Davids at the Roeland Park Community Center. Davids invited several speakers to talk about access to mental healthcare and address the disparities hindering access in both Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

Underground flooding causing nightmares for Barton County

While the water levels in Barton County rivers and streams has been impressive due to heavy rainfall the past week and a half, the flooding beneath the surface is causing just as much if not more problems than surface flooding has caused. Barton County Environmental Manager Judy Goreham says water both above and beneath the ground is causing havoc for those who use private wells and septic systems. She says if your private water well has been affected by flood waters, contact her office for instructions on how to handle the well moving forward.

For most rural residents, if they are using a private water well for water consumption, they are probably using a septic system as well.

Goreham urges residents who have had flooding issues that have affected their water wells or septic systems, to visit the county’s web-site at bartoncounty.org.

To contact the Barton County Environmental Office, call 620-796-4300.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Great Bend City Councilmember Somers resigns after accepting new job

Chad Somers

On Thursday, May 30 Councilmember Chad Somers resigned his seat on the Great Bend City Council. Chad supplied a letter of resignation stating he has accepted a position that has independence standards by which he must abide.

Councilmember Somers stated in his letter, “It has been an honor to work alongside fellow councilmembers for the Great Bend community. I am proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to the continued success of the governing body.”

Councilmember applications can be downloaded from the city website or obtained by staff at City Hall, 1209 Williams, 620-793-4111 or by emailing lparsons@greatbendks.net.

Here’s Somers’ resignation letter…

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Johnson County’s newest library is ‘a natural fit’ for growing Lenexa City Center

Lenexa City Center Library, the newest addition to the quickly-growing Lenexa City Center, will open Sunday.

The library, at 8778 Penrose Lane, replaces the Lackman branch that previously served the area.

The $21.1 million project adds to the list of grand openings in the City Center over the past few years. The area, which opened in 2017, includes the new City Hall, Lenexa Rec Center, a five-story parking structure and public-use spaces. Several food and clothing merchants have also opened in the Lenexa Public Market.

The downtown vision that started in 1997 pictured Lenexa City Center as a community gathering space. City Manager Beccy Yocham said the library is “a natural fit” into this vision.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

County hears project pros, cons

ERIE – After a distraction by other issues – like one of the worst floods in Neosho County history – commissioners got back to the Neosho Ridge Wind project controversy at Thursday evening’s meeting.

Commissioners heard from participating and non-participating landowners – in favor of and opposed to the electrical generation project – which involves plans by Apex Clean Energy to build 139 windmills in southwest Neosho County.

“Think of the money that’s going to be dumped in the county during construction,” supporter Roy Vyhlidal told commissioners. He gave them copies of an article about a project near Fort Hays.

(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)

Scott City to host first Renaissance Festival

Scott City’s inaugural Renaissance Festival, the first such event in western Kansas in recent memory, is already sparking buzz among the locals, said organizer Lindsey Singley.

“I know people that have specifically bought costumes this year for this,” said Singley, executive director of the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The festival will run from 1 to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Scott County Fairgrounds in Scott City, a companion event to the city’s participation in June Jaunt celebrations along K-96 highway. The fair is the culmination of what Singley and others have wanted to organize for years, Singley said, and is ideally the beginning of larger and increasingly ambitious festivals in the near future.

New program addresses ‘mental health crisis’ in Wichita

On a call last week, officers shot and killed a man after he fired dozens of shots from his home. They later confirmed he had a known history of mental health issues.

Wichita city leaders say there is a mental health crisis in the community. Malachi Winters with Sedgwick County Emergency Services will soon manage a pilot program to respond to mental health issues in the community.

The program allows Sedgwick County deputies and Wichita police to work closely with COMCARE social workers and paramedics.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Reno County launches a disaster relief initiative to assist with cleanup recovery

RENO COUNTY (KSNW) – The Reno County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOAD, is activating a disaster relief protocol in wake of the flooding that caused extensive damage in our community.

The VOAD may offer assistance to those that are not able to physically and financially take care of cleanup and recovery themselves.

Any resident who feels they would qualify for assistance needs to simply call 2-1-1 which operates 24/7 and let them know that they live in Reno County and are requesting assistance from the floods.

This will be effective starting Friday, May 31st. The VOAD will accept applications for assistance through July 31st, 2019.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

When Should Local Governments Take on Debt?

When Should Local Governments Take On Debt?

When cities issue municipal bonds, they are taking on debt. There are many reasons why they might do this, and some of them are entirely legitimate. But it’s important to understand the pitfalls of public debt.

Identifying Whether You Have a Cash-Flow Problem or an Insolvency Problem

It makes sense to issue bonds for cash flow reasons. In other words, let’s say City X has a big surge in road maintenance needs in one particular year. A city is not going to tax its residents much more to cover that surge, and then lower their taxes the next year. Instead, it’s going to issue bonds to pay that off, and cash-flow that expense over a period of time.

There’s nothing wrong with that provided you are actually confident that you have a cash flow problem and not an insolvency problem. But often, cities get to a point where they have more road maintenance to do than they have money to take care of it, and so they go and borrow the money to meet their obligations. If you’re doing this, you will eventually run out of borrowing capacity, and then you’ll have neither cash nor the ability to borrow more cash. That’s an insolvency problem.

(Read more: Strong Towns Blog)

The first #MPA program began in 1914 at Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy….the first degree went to person from El Dorado CVB!

Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback to receive Mahatma Gandhi Award for pluralism

Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will receive an award named after Mahatma Gandhi for his work as the country’s international voice for religious freedom.

The Hindu American Foundation announced Thursday that next month it will present Brownback, who now serves as President Donald Trump’s ambassador at-large for international religious freedom, with the Mahatma Gandhi Award for Advancing Pluralism.

“This award is bestowed upon individuals and institutions who have demonstrated a commitment to fostering one of America’s greatest strength, its inclusive and pluralistic character, and appropriately named after India’s founding father Mahatma Gandhi, who sacrificed life and limb to advance pluralism,” the foundation said in its announcement.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Kansas lawmakers settle fiscal issues amid Medicaid protest

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators on Wednesday reversed actions by Kansas’ Democratic governor to reshape the state budget to her liking, but they couldn’t save a GOP tax relief plan and had their work briefly delayed by a loud protest in favor of expanding Medicaid.

Rep. @BrendaLandwehr urging colleagues to override the Governor’s budget vetoes. #ksleg pic.twitter.com/5iXb7ckjSq

— Dan Hawkins (@DanHawkinsKS) May 29, 2019

The GOP-controlled Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of several items in the next state budget, including an extra $51 million payment to the state’s public pension system to help boost its long-term financial stability. She had argued for socking away more funds in the state’s cash reserves as a hedge against a future economic downturn.

Republicans failed to override Kelly’s veto of a tax bill aimed at providing relief to businesses and individuals paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017. The governor argued that it would “decimate” the state budget as it saved taxpayers roughly $240 million over three years.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

U-Haul locations across Kansas City offer free storage for tornado victims

LENEXA, Kan. —
The U-Haul Companies of southern Kansas and northern Kansas are offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to residents in and around Kansas City impacted by Tuesday night’s severe weather.

“The tornado was so large, it caused miles of destruction,” said Gary Wittkopp, president of U-Haul Company of Northern Kansas. “There are downed trees and power lines, and damaged homes. The impact has created a need for self-storage as our neighbors go through the clean-up process and require a place to bring their possessions. We want to help by offering one month of free self-storage to those in need.”

(Read more: KMBC)

Indictment: Kansas couple stole millions in check-kiting scheme

Plainville Livestock Commission

TOPEKA – The owners of the Plainville Livestock Commission in Rooks County are charged with carrying out a check kiting scheme that cost banks millions of dollars, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said Thursday in a news release.

A grand jury in Topeka returned the indictment Wednesday. The indictment can be seen here.

Tyler Gillum, 47, and his wife, Camden Gillum, 50, both of Plainville, are charged with 31 counts of bank fraud, one count of making a false statement to the Small Business Administration in an application for a $1.5 million loan, and one count of making a false statement to Almena State Bank in an application for a $500,000 line of credit.

(Read more: Little Apple Post)

Summer reading program off like a rocket

The Emporia Public Library launched its summer reading program recently with a blast-off party.

Because the theme this summer is “A Universe of Stories,” outer space was the star of the event.

Multiple children attended with parents and guardians, where they played games, did crafts and learned about space.

Young Adult Librarian Tiffany Fay was pleased so many children and families chose to attend the event in light of the weather — Emporia was, at the time, under a tornado watch.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Senate confirms Kelly’s nomination for Court of Appeals judge

The Kansas Senate has confirmed Governor Laura Kelly’s nomination of a Kansas City-area attorney to the state’s second-highest court.

The vote Wednesday was 37-1 for Sarah Warner of Lenexa to be Court of Appeals judge.

The governor submitted Warner’s name to the Republican-controlled Senate after it rejected Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack’s nomination over his political tweets in 2017. Kelly tried to withdraw Jack’s nomination in March and touched off a legal battle. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Kelly could not legally withdraw the nomination.

(Read more: WIBW News Now)

State parks affected by rain

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reported that frequent heavy rains are impacting some state parks in eastern Kansas.

High water levels at many reservoirs have flooded campgrounds, overtopped roads, closed boat ramps and beaches and dampened visitors’ enthusiasm for any outdoor activities. Most state parks in western Kansas have been largely unaffected.

In eastern Kansas, Elk City State Park is closed, all campgrounds and day-use areas at Fall River State Park are closed and Perry State Park remains open but with very limited services. Most other state parks in eastern Kansas are reporting various degrees of flooding issues.