Kansas Municipal News
Faster Internet Is Coming to America—as Soon as the Government Knows Where to Build It
The government’s $42.5 billion plan to expand internet service to underserved communities is stuck in a holding pattern nearly nine months after approval, largely because authorities still don’t know where gaps need to be filled. The broadband plan, part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last November, stipulates that money to improve service can’t be doled out until the Federal Communications Commission completes new maps showing where homes and businesses lack fast service.
Source: WSJ.com
Governor announces new highway projects under state transportation plan
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced 11 expansion and modernization projects that will be added to the state’s bipartisan transportation plan, known as IKE. The new project represent a total investment of over $520 million. The governor made the announcement Monday in Andover, and that community stands to benefit from the largest of the new projects. Plans are moving ahead to continue the East Kellogg Freeway project from the K-96 interchange to 159th Street East. The $230 million project was identified as the highest priority projects in discussions with south central Kansas leaders. Work on the project is expected to begin next June.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Governor Kelly meets with Sedgwick County leaders on mental health needs
Governor Kelly met with Wichita and Sedgwick County leaders as well as state lawmakers on Monday to talk about mental health issues and the need for a state mental health hospital in south central Kansas. The governor met with Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple, Sedgwick County Commission Chairman David Dennis and representatives of local health and law enforcement agencies for a roundtable discussion. They talked about the need for a regional hospital and also ways to continue expanding access to needed services. The governor toured the COMCARE Crisis Center and saw the services offered by Sedgwick County, including the 988 Hotline operation.
Source: 101.3 KFDI
Pottawatomie Co. approves resolution for sales tax initiative to fund infrastructure projects
Pottawatomie County residents will consider levying a quarter percent sales tax when they head to the polls this November for a host paving and improvement projects on roads and bridges. Commissioners approved a resolution Monday, two weeks before the state deadline to pose such questions on the general election ballot. Before Monday’s vote, former Public Works Administrator Peter Clark addressed the commission as a representative of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors. “There’s a number of areas in our county that need to be addressed for the growth that has already occurred, to keep up with that and the growth that has yet to occur, that needs to occur, to keep our county prosperous,” he said.
Source: 1350 KMAN
Three Derby businesses approved for facade improvement funding
Continuing to utilize the $150,000 budgeted for the city’s new Community Facade Improvement Program, the Community Development Advisory Board approved (5-0) grant funding requests – up to five total – for three new projects at its Aug. 10 meeting. The CFIP program was started in 2022 as a matching grant program to promote business investment on Derby’s west side through building facade repairs, removal of non-conforming signs, etc.
Source: Derby Informer
Bomb detonated near Parsons Courthouse
A 63-year old male is in custody after an investigation of a bombing that occurred early Monday morning. The man has been identified as James Dale Sutton. He is being charged with criminal use of explosives, possession of commercial explosives to commit crime arson, and intentional to non-dwelling of another without consent. This incident is still under investigation by the ATF, FBI, KBI, Parsons Police Department, and Labette County Sheriff’s Office.
Source: KSNF/KODE
New solar station coming to Shawnee County
Shawnee County is just a few months away from gaining its newest solar energy farm. Evergy and Free State Electric Cooperative have partnered up to bring another energy source to serve part of Shawnee County. Evergy said there will be thousands of panels at the plant once the project is completed. However, the plant is located right behind a neighborhood. Bow Stanley, who has lived in Silver Lake for over 20 years, is not very worried about the panels being built just two doors down from his home. He’s mostly looking forward to the impact they’ll have once the plant is up and running.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Legendary Brookville Hotel reopens as Legacy Kansas in Abilene
Two restaurants, one lost to fire and the other to the COVID-19 pandemic, are making a comeback together. The Brookville Hotel has officially reopened – following its purchase by Deana and Chuck Munson- under the name Legacy Kansas Munson’s Prime & Brookville Hotel. The new name signals the union of two nationally-recognized restaurants which both closed recently for different reasons. The Brookville Hotel, formerly owned by Mark Martin, closed on Oct. 1, 2020, due to economic issues brought on by the pandemic while Munson’s Prime Steak in Junction City burned down on Feb. 24, 2021.
Source: KSNT 27 News
City of Topeka joins Kaw River restoration work
A two-year restoration project in the Kaw River State Park is getting some help from the City of Topeka. The Topeka Riverbank Restoration Project is a two-year project encompassing 22 acres of the 76-acre Kaw River State Park. The goal of the project is to remove non-native plants and invasive species from the area. The city is joining in on the process by leading excavation work near a boat ramp located in the northeast corner of the park. This is being done to reduce erosion and sediment loss. The contractor hired by the city to conduct this part of the project will also be building some nested basins near the parking lot to promote water quality by infiltration and filtration. The work is expected to conclude within the next few weeks, weather permitting, according to the city.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Rossville celebrates another Tall Corn Festival
Rossville is celebrating its annual Tall Corn Festival this weekend. Rossville’s Tall Corn Festival takes place annually, on the second weekend of August. The event started almost 100 years ago on a hot summer weekend, as a way for the town to kick off harvest season and because Rossville is a farming community, the festival is a way to show appreciation for their Rossville farmers. This year’s festival theme is “Blame it all on my roots” and was held at the city park and in other downtown areas. The festival began Friday afternoon with a Rossville High School band performance, a watermelon feed, corn eating contest, Rossville High dance performances, and fireworks in the park.
Source: KSNT 27 News
A directly elected mayor for Lawrence? City Commission to discuss putting question on ballots
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will resume a discussion on the city’s form of government and whether to ask voters if they want to directly elect a mayor. The ongoing conversation is about potential changes to the city government. A task force suggested that rather than the current five city commissioners who are elected at large — meaning by voters across the whole city, rather than by districts — the city should have six commissioners who each represent a district of Lawrence. The task force also recommended that voters should directly elect a mayor to serve a four-year term. Currently, the mayor and vice mayor positions rotate every year to the commissioners who receive the most votes in elections.
Source: The Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence joins national effort to monitor COVID-19 and monkeypox in wastewater
The City of Lawrence has joined a nationwide initiative to detect infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and monkeypox, in local wastewater, according to a news release Monday. The initiative is part of WastewaterSCAN, led by researchers at Stanford University and Emory University and aimed at providing local public health officials with tools to respond to crises. Previously known as the Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN), the initiative has now advanced to detecting additional viruses along with COVID-19 and its variants, including monkeypox, influenza A, and RSV.
Source: The Lawrence Times
Wichita looks to waive building permit fees to encourage more housing projects
Wichita’s City Council will consider adopting a new two-year pilot program on Tuesday that would provide incentives to encourage infill residential construction within the city’s neglected central neighborhoods, according to an agenda report for the upcoming meeting. The city says the program’s ultimate goal is to provide more affordable housing options to meet workforce needs, as well as reinvigorate declining neighborhoods. If adopted Tuesday, the program would waive building permit fees for all residential construction within designated “formative” areas of Wichita, particularly in areas north, west and south of the downtown core. Homeowners for DIY projects, as well as builders, contractors and landlords, are eligible to participate, as long as they are current on all real estate taxes and outstanding special assessments.
Source: Wichita Business Journal
The Local Infrastructure Hub Opens Enrollment for Technical Assistance Program to Help Small, Mid-Sized Cities and Towns Access Federal Infrastructure Dollars
Today, the Local Infrastructure Hub opened registration for small and mid-sized cities to participate in a new technical assistance program to help them access federal infrastructure funding. The specialized training bootcamps will let them access some of the first grant opportunities available as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. … For smaller cities and towns, submitting strong applications for competitive federal infrastructure money can be particularly challenging. Local teams are stretched and rarely have in-house grant writing resources. … Beginning today, the Local Infrastructure Hub is enrolling towns and cities with 150,000 residents or less in a technical assistance program designed to help them prepare strong applications for five upcoming federal grant programs included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which represent $4 billion in funding. In the months ahead, the Hub will provide support for additional federal grant opportunities.
Source: NLC
Faster Internet Is Coming to America—as Soon as the Government Knows Where to Build It
The government’s $42.5 billion plan to expand internet service to underserved communities is stuck in a holding pattern nearly nine months after approval, largely because authorities still don’t know where gaps need to be filled. The broadband plan, part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last November, stipulates that money to improve service can’t be doled out until the Federal Communications Commission completes new maps showing where homes and businesses lack fast service.
Source: WSJ.com
Fed’s Barkin says rate increases need to continue until inflation holds at 2%
Despite positive inflation data this week, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said Friday that more interest rate increases will be needed to tamp down price pressures. Releases this week showing that consumer and wholesale price increases softened in July were “very welcome,” Barkin told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” in a live interview. “So we’re happy to see inflation start to move down,” he added. But he noted that, “I’d like to see a period of sustained inflation under control, and until we do that I think we’re just going to have to continue to move rates into restrictive territory.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds
Gunshots damage Shawnee City Hall overnight Friday, nobody inside at time
Shawnee Police are investigating after gunshots were fired in at least two places along Johnson Drive overnight Friday. At least two bullets appear to have struck Shawnee City Hall during the incidents, damaging a door and window on the front side of the building which faces Johnson Drive. Investigators say city hall was unoccupied at the time the shots were fired, and nobody was reported injured in either shooting incident.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Johnson County police handle more mental health calls. The nearest crisis center is in KCK
In the past year, Overland Park police officer Justin Shepherd has responded to mental health calls including a homeless man experiencing hallucinations and another person who was having thoughts of self-harm. But Shepherd has few options for getting someone in distress the help they need. Only two options are available 24 hours a day for people without insurance: take them to a hospital emergency room or to the crisis center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Source: KC Star Local News
Mission Hills is installing cameras, license plate readers at 10 intersections
Mission Hills hopes to have 10 intersections outfitted with cameras or license plate readers by the end of the summer. The city has been installing cameras and automatic license plate readers at key intersections to help police solve crime, said Capt. Ivan Washington with the Prairie Village Police Department, which contracts with Mission Hills for police services. “The purpose of the initiative is to help as an investigative tool to provide tips or leads to the investigation division to hopefully be able to bring criminal cases to a positive resolution,” Washington said.
Source: KC Star Local News
After years of planning, a new housing development is coming to Edgerton
Leaders of a southwest Johnson County community that is starved for housing on Thursday approved its first new single-family housing development in almost two decades, according to a news release. In an unanimous vote, the Edgerton City Council approved a conceptual plan proposed by developer Rausch Coleman Homes to build about 275 homes on more than 80 acres at the southwest corner of Braun and Eighth streets, according to the news release from ElevateEdgerton!, a public-private economic development partnership with the city. The new housing development is much needed for the community that sees its population nearly triple each day as employees head to work at a fast-growing business park there. The new development has been years in the making.
Source: KC Star Local News