Municipal News & Jobs

Wichita Park & Recreation is finding creative ways to conserve water during ongoing drought conditions. This week, the department announced that its Aquatics, Park Maintenance, and Golf divisions are teaming up to reuse water from Aley and McAfee Pools. Instead of sending the water down the drain, the Park Maintenance team is pumping it out and transporting it to ponds at MacDonald Golf Course.
Read more: KSN-TV

Voters will decide this fall whether to approve nearly $28 million in school improvements that would bring all Oakley students under one roof. The $27,995,000 proposal would expand the high school into a single PreK–12 campus and demolish the district’s elementary and middle schools. Julie Crum, USD 274 Superintendent, said the work is badly needed.
Read more: KSN-TV

An opening date has been set for the new gambling and entertainment center that will occupy the former Wichita Greyhound Park. The property, initially known as the Golden Circle historic horse racing facility, is now being called Gilley’s and is scheduled to open on Dec. 15. Developed by Wichita businessman Phil Ruffin, the facility will feature approximately 1,000 historic horse racing machines.
Read more: KSN-TV

Construction begins on a key Pittsburg waste treatment facility set to bring the old building up to code. Experts say these kinds of facilities take sewage from homes and businesses and remove the harmful chemicals found in them like nitrogen and phosphorus and then pump the water back out into the environment, strengthening local ecosystems and making the water consumable for the citizens of the community.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

Ashland and Bucklin nearly missed the kickoff for the 2025 football season, if not for a few last-minute changes. The schools realized, after declaring themselves as eight-man teams to the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) two years ago, that they didn’t have the athletes to fill their rosters. The Friday night lights for these towns will look different this year, since the solution to their problem incurred some penalties.
Read more: KSN-TV

A new study is shedding light on the challenges that rural counties face when managing clean energy projects like wind farms. The Kansas Health Institute is a non-profit organization that provides research for policy makers here in Kansas. They’ve concluded that when it comes to managing wind energy projects, rural county governments in Kansas could benefit from more information and resources from the state.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

As you have already heard, unemployment continues to rise for both Emporia and Lyon County as a whole and local leaders and experts have the answers as to what is causing the increase; however, when it comes to what will halt it, that’s a bit trickier to say. As KVOE News reported recently, Emporia’s unemployment rate remains the highest in the state for the second consecutive month, going from 5.8 to 6.5 percent between July and June. Meanwhile, the county’s unemployment rate is currently tied for third third-highest in the state at an even 6 percent — nearing levels last seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more: d2430

With a population of only 52, the town of Elsmore may be small, but its residents are determined to keep their community thriving. Thrive Allen County hosted a Community Conversation Tuesday evening, where locals reflected on what makes their town special and where improvements could be made. The discussion centered on three questions: What gives you pride in your community? What opportunities are missing? And where are the barriers or needs for growth?
Read more: The Iola Register

Blue Rapids is preparing the footings for a new home, and city officials are excited. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, Blue Rapids City Council and city staff gathered to announce the groundbreaking for a new three-bedroom home at 904 Main St. Next spring, they aim to have it completed. If a buyer steps up sooner, they’ll hand the construction project over for the homeowner to finish.
Read more: www.marysvilleonline.net – RSS Results in news,news/* of type article

The large solar farm planned for north of Clifton has been put on hold. Local rumors of the situation were confirmed by a spokesperson for NextEra Energy Resources on Tuesday. Laura Gies, who works in communications for NextEra, said “Further development of the Eagle Road energy project in Washington County has been paused.”
Read more: Backroads News | Washington County News

Between 80 and 90 trains run through Olathe daily, halting traffic for four minutes on average, sometimes more — an issue the city is hoping to resolve. Olathe’s at-grade crossings on the city’s west side have been under watch for some time, and the city has been planning for nearly two years to do a limited, high-level study on them. Now that the city has secured federal funds for the study, Olathe can do a more in-depth analysis of the sites.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Murals depict various themes, from Kansas’ night sky and state symbols to local icons and historical figures like Chester I. Lewis. A comprehensive list of murals can be found on the Visit Hutch website, though some unlisted murals are hidden throughout the city.
Read more: Hutch News

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Topeka police chief Chris Vallejo said a big part of his new program PACT — Police and Community Together — is working on data-driven policing that accompanies community policing in crime hot spots. 911 calls is sorted into various categories to determine severity of the situation. The severity of a call will determine which calls get addressed first.
Read more: CJonline

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

McPherson County Commissioners have adopted a six-month moratorium on new data centers in the unincorporated areas of McPherson County. As initially presented by Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Kinsey, the moratorium would have been through January 1, 2028, but following an extended discussion that was reduced to about six months. Kinsey said the purpose of the moratorium would be to allow the county’s Planning Commission to study how data centers would fit into the county’s comprehensive plan and what zoning regulations changes might be required.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

Over 18 years ago, Jason Thrasher made a change from the manufacturing world into the world of local government. Thrasher became the Hesston City Clerk in 2007 after leaving AGCO. Once again, Thrasher has made a change, only this time, his move was from Clerk to City Administrator, with his official start date being Aug. 12. “I had no municipal experience when I started, and local government operates differently than the private sector,” Thrasher said. “Fortunately, I worked with a knowledgeable administrator and staff who helped me learn the ropes.”
Read more: Harvey County Now

Five-year-old Layne’s pretty young to work as a crossing guard. But, then again, Layne is a large half Maine Coon cat. The City of Newton recently honored Layne in social media posts as a Crosswalk Purr-tector for his work walking kids to school on the sidewalk and crosswalk on both sides of the street. Layne roams the neighborhood around the 600 block of East Fifth and East Fourth and down to Slate Creek Elementary and Chisholm Middle schools. He has a human family consisting of Pepper Stephey, her husband Jason Leal, and children Mackenzie, Maddi, and MaciRae.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Larry Roland grew up in Kansas City, Kansas with a strong sense of wanting to help the people in his community. As he got older that sense of service only got stronger. Born in the heart of the city in 1953, he was raised with strong values, a commitment to community and a quiet leadership that would later shape nearly half a century in law enforcement. Roland, a retired law enforcement official who served with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and as Undersheriff in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, died July 27 from Parkinson’s disease, he was 71.
Read more: Homepage

Every-other-day watering restrictions may soon be a reality for Wichita Water customers. The Wichita City Council will consider permanent watering restrictions at its meeting Tuesday. “Overall, we’re focused on outdoor irrigation. You’d be able to water three days a week,” Public Works Director Gary Janzen said last month. “Our estimated conservation is 10-15% below normal, which could amount to as much as a billion gallons a year. That’s a real number, and that’s a big deal going forward with long term conservation.”
Read more: Homepage

The 186 residents of Pawnee Rock want clean water to flow from kitchen faucets, but uranium contamination forced one city well to be taken offline and meant the western Kansas community was down to a single well. “No redundancy,” said Katie Miller, director of water resources with Kansas Municipal Utilities, an association working on behalf of more than 200 communities. “No backup.” She told members of the Kansas Water Program Task Force on August 11 the solution in Pawnee Rock was to earmark $4.1 million for a new source of water that hopefully would be adequate in supply and quality. Uranium may be a surprising impediment to operation of a healthy water system, but consequences of Kansas’ over-reliance on irrigation for crops, and pollution of surface and groundwater with nitrates prominent in agricultural runoff, made it difficult to guarantee a lasting supply for the 3 million residents of Kansas.
Read more: www.derbyinformer.com – RSS Results in news/area_news of type article

The Fort Scott City Commission is expected to vote Tuesday on one of several proposals for a sales tax ballot question to be presented to voters in November. During a town hall meeting Thursday evening at the Empress Event Center, commissioners and other city officials discussed the proposals and fielded questions from residents.
Read more: Fort Scott Tribune Headlines

Westwood may bring housing to the site of an old school near Joe D. Dennis Park, signaling the city’s continued interest to guide redevelopment in a part of the small bedroom community that, for years, has been steeped in controversy. The old Westwood View Elementary School property as well as the park and city-owned green space nearby have been the battleground of protests, legal threats and, ultimately, a failed public vote last spring on the sale of the park that would have paved the way for an office-retail project there.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Overland Park is pulling together the final details on its plans to build a new $23.5 million training facility for the police department next year. The new facility will span about 35,000 square feet and sit on the W. Jack Sanders Justice Center campus near 123rd Street and Blue Valley Parkway. Earlier this week, the Overland Park Planning Commission approved a revised preliminary development plan tied to the project, 8-0, laying out more specifics about the site layout and design.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Edward McCabe helped establish an all-Black Kansas town on his mission to create a state inhabited and run by freed slaves. In a new book, author Caleb Gayle writes about how McCabe earned the nickname of “Black Moses” and what his quest for liberation meant.
Read more: Up To Date

Drivers in Sedan got an unexpected show Friday when a massive wind turbine tried — and failed — to make a tight turn downtown. In a social post, police said the state has been routing wind turbines through town again, but this one’s unusual direction turned a routine haul into a long afternoon. The oversized load, headed south through town, couldn’t navigate the Main and School Street junction despite three tries. The driver’s only option? Put it in reverse. And keep going. For a mile and a half.
Read more: KSN-TV

Many teachers spend a lot of their own money to keep classrooms stocked with supplies. In Medicine Lodge, the community found a game-show-style way to help three local educators start the school year right. Friday marked the third annual “Grab and Go” at Dollar General, sponsored by the Medicine Lodge First Assembly of God Church. One teacher from the grade school, one from the middle school, and one from the high school had one minute to race through the store and fill their carts.
Read more: KSN-TV

A Wichita Police-led task force created to address property crimes in south-central Kansas is receiving a national award. The Property Crimes Reduction Task Force was formed in late summer 2024. Led by Property Crimes Bureau Captain Casey Slaughter, the task force is a partnership involving Wichita Police, law enforcement agencies in Sedgwick and surrounding counties, prosecutors, and local businesses. This week, the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators announced that the task force will be the recipient of its Task Force of the Year award.
Read more: KSN-TV

Matthew Gleason was hired this week as Allen Community College’s new vice president of finance and operations, one of several personnel actions approved by ACC trustees. Gleason brings more than 20 years of accounting and financial leadership experience to Allen, with a career spanning higher education and municipal government. He most recently served as city treasurer and finance director for the City of Grand Island, Neb., where he oversaw the city’s finance and information technology divisions.
Read more: The Iola Register

Downtown Overland Park is undergoing a major transformation. Construction of the new Overland Park Farmers Market is well on its way there. The development is part of part of the $34 million Farmers Market and Downtown Gathering Space Improvement Project. The new market place replaces the original 1991 structure which has already been razed. The new pavilion will feature indoor vendor areas, permanent shade structures, expanded seating, and amenities like solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, and native landscaping in the space between Santa Fe Drive and Marty Street. The year-round gathering space will get upgraded restrooms to add to visitor comfort.
Read more: Homepage

The Kansas Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for the fall 2025 round of the agency’s Cost Share Program. More than $157 million has been given to Kansas communities since the Cost Share Program began in 2019. The Cost Share Program provides financial assistance to local entities for construction projects that improve safety, leverage state funds to increase total transportation investment and help both rural and urban areas of the state improve the transportation system. This is the 13th round of projects to receive funding.
Read more: Ad Astra Radio | Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source

His contract with Saline County will end March 31, 2026 and he intends to embark on retirement. Within the next month, the county will be launching the search for a new County Administrator.
Read more: LinkedIn

A new Kansas law in 2024 required cops to publicly file affidavits of probable cause in court whenever they seek forfeiture of assets they seize. Before the case may proceed, a judge must determine probable cause exists to believe the property is subject to forfeiture. In the roughly 13 months since Senate Bill 458 took effect, there have been dozens of ongoing and newly filed cases in district courts across the state, according to a review by The Capital-Journal of Kansas court records. That includes a handful of cases over seizures in Shawnee County and along Interstate 70 in neighboring Wabaunsee County.
Read more: CJonline

In April 2024, firefighters helped form the Derby Fall Prevention Coalition, a group of community partners dedicated to fall prevention. Now a registered nonprofit, the coalition provides in-home services such as installing handrails, raising chairs, or lowering beds to make daily movement safer.
Read more: KAKE

The KBI recently held a meeting with the Attorney General’s office and the beverage wholesale industry regarding THC-infused drinks, leading many liquor stores to stop selling them. Vern’s Retail Liquor in Topeka says its inventory is legal, containing less than 0.3% THC and has yet to remove the drinks from the shelves.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The police department says the complaints range from parents riding with children hanging off the side or back of the golf cart to children under the age of 18 operating them.
Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

Last month, DoorDash became officially available for use in Clay Center. The food delivery service allows users to order fast food or groceries via their smartphone and have their items delivered to a specified address.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Randy Smith began his career as a tower climber by accident. Located in Rolla, Kansas, a town of less than 400 in southwest Kansas, Smith has been the area’s go-to tower climber for decades. Now 70 years old, he said he’ll continue getting up in the air as long as he’s able; he enjoys climbing and said he has his entire life. From roofs to playground equipment, he was up in the air as often as possible. 
Read more: KCLY Radio

The lack of new cases puts Kansas about halfway through the 42 days required for a measles outbreak to be considered over, which is two incubation periods of 21 days each, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Cities are trying to figure out how to accommodate the boom in two-wheelers that threaten safety for pedestrians and riders. Requirements on age, licenses and helmets vary from place to place, not to mention rules about where the vehicles can travel.
Read more: Wall Street Journal

One of the metro Amazon centers is in south Kansas City, Missouri, and the other is in Kansas City, Kansas. Mayor Tyrone Garner was on hand Wednesday for the demonstration. “This is a great example of a public-private partnership that has come to fruition. That’s really going to be of value to people here,” Garner said.
Read more: KMBC

Allen County voters will be asked in November to extend a quarter-cent sales tax that’s been in place since 2010, with proceeds going toward Allen County Regional Hospital. The quarter-cent sales tax comes before voters for renewal every five years.
Read more: The Iola Register

For anyone in Wichita or beyond who has been disappointed in the public-private partnership known as the WaterWalk development downtown and the almost $44 million the community has poured into it, Tuesday’s City Council meeting was for you. There were two shockers during a lengthy discussion on the development as a whole and the proposed affordable apartments that an Indiana company wanted to build there, which were denied in what several council members described as a tough vote.
Read more: Homepage

A widely followed measure of inflation accelerated slightly less than expected in July on an annual basis as President Donald Trump’s tariffs showed mostly modest impacts and investors grew more confidence about interest rate cuts ahead. The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month and 2.7% on a 12-month basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. That compared with the respective Dow Jones estimates for 0.2% and 2.8%.Read more: Economy