Kansas Municipal News
Introducing kids to Baxter Springs public safety
The Baxter Springs Police Department welcomes the public to an evening meet-and-greet. The event was held Monday (7/18) at the Baxter Springs PD. The department has added several new officers and administration personnel, Giving the public a chance to meet those who serve the Baxter Springs community. Several Kansas agencies were on hand during the event for both kids and adults, including Baxter Springs Fire, Cherokee County EMS and the Kansas Parks and Wildlife.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Arma takes delicious trip through the decades
Southeast Kansas got a delicious look through the decades. Today the Miner’s Hall Museum held a presentation looking into the early drive-ins and restaurants in Arma. It was part of the ongoing exhibit highlighting Arma’s past since it was a coal camp. A panel of storytellers spent time going over these eateries, including Karen Golob Heronemus, who’s mother operated the Dari Castle for around two decades.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Mayor of Topeka chosen for global leadership initiative
The mayor of Topeka has been selected to participate in a year-long education and professional development program that aims to improve the city’s leadership capabilities. Mayor Mike Padilla is one of 40 mayors from around the world chosen to participate in The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The initiative wants to help Padilla and the city of Topeka to foster professional growth, advance innovation and deliver results for residents. The initiative is a collaboration between Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors and senior city officials with the skills needed to tackle complex challenges and improve their residents’ quality of life.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Lawrence City Commission to begin discussion of proposal to ban single-use plastic bags
After recently requesting to take up the issue again, city leaders will soon consider whether to pursue an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission is scheduled to receive a recently approved recommendation from the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board to ban single-use plastic bags provided at checkout and begin an educational campaign about their environmental impact.
Source: LJWorld
Municipal Bond Trends for July 18, 2022
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.
Army to provide update on remediation of De Soto property that will be site of $4B battery plant
U.S. Army officials will give an update on the cleanup of the former ammunition plant in De Soto that is to be the location of a $4 billion Panasonic battery plant. The Army plans a public hearing on Wednesday to discuss progress on an environmental cleanup of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. The event will provide the public a chance to ask questions about the cleanup and discuss the possibility of forming a Restoration Advisory Board, according to the Johnson County website. The Sunflower plant opened after the attack on Pearl Harbor to provide ammunition to U.S. troops. It quickly became the world’s largest powder and propellant plant, with a workforce of 12,000.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
Derby shifting to fleet management program for city vehicles
Given recent issues the city has seen purchasing and replacing a number of department vehicles, staff looked into a fleet leasing agreement with Enterprise – which the Derby City Council officially approved at its July 12 meeting. Under the fleet leasing arrangement, Enterprise handles purchase of vehicles for the city, leasing those vehicles to the city and also selling used vehicles at their highest point of value to help fund the program. “Basically, the program works off the city’s ability to purchase vehicles at government rate, then resell those vehicles when they have the most value,” said Deputy City Manager Dan Bronson. Enterprise also currently provides this program to municipalities like Andover, Arkansas City, Salina, Valley Center, Wellington and more. Under the approved agreement, Derby plans to eventually replace all city vehicles (98 total) under one ton. To fund the leasing program, the city will initially sell the vehicles planned for replacement to Enterprise, which is projected to generate $1.384 million.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Women Only exhibit on display at Art Gallery
The Chanute Art Gallery is currently showcasing its new exhibit, Women Only. This exhibit, which is open through August 27, is a collection of works from 26 artists and includes nearly 200 pieces.
Source: The Chanute Tribune
Fed Officials Preparing to Lift Interest Rates by Another 0.75 Percentage Point
Federal Reserve officials have signaled they are likely to raise interest rates by 0.75 percentage point later this month, for the second straight meeting, as part of an aggressive effort to combat high inflation. Policy makers left the door open to a larger, full-percentage-point increase at the July 26-27 gathering. But some of them simultaneously poured cold water on the idea in recent interviews and public comments ahead of their premeeting quiet period, which began Saturday. Some officials pointed to signs that economic activity was softening as they raise rates at a historically brisk pace. “You don’t want to overdo the rate increases. A 75-basis-point hike, folks, is huge,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said Thursday at a conference in Victor, Idaho. “Don’t say, ‘Because you’re not going 100, you’re not doing your job.’”
Source: Wall Street Journal
Lenexa plans $1M in improvements to skate park at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park
The skate park at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park is more than 20 years old. The pavement, rails and ramps all have wear and tear. But now, the city of Lenexa said it plans on spending $1 million on upgrades to the skate park and a nearby parking lot. Chris Mills is very fond of the skate park in Lenexa. He said he spent much of his childhood there with his skateboard. “I actually remember when they built it,” Mills said. “I was 6 years old.” The skate park brings in people from across the Kansas City metro like Emma Connelly and her friend from Overland Park.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Rose Hill residents rally for 9/11 remembrance
A group of committed residents has put together a task force to erect a 9/11 memorial at the School Street pond in Rose Hill. The group is led by local business owner and longtime Rose Hill resident Gerald Amato. “The reason we put something together is we realized that all the kids that are in the schools right now, even in the high schools, they weren’t even born when this situation came about,” Amato said. … Amato is supported by a board of community members, including representatives from the Rose Hill Police Department, fire department, and the city itself. He says the idea started when a member of the Rose Hill Historical Society approached him with the idea. “One of the ladies with the historical society came to me, and she said, ‘Gerald, we need to do something, and you’re the guy that I know that can make it happen,’” Amato said. … Information about the memorial can be found online at https://rosehill9-11memorial.org/.
Source: Derby Informer | News
Odor in City of Topeka is not a danger to residents
Residents in Topeka who have reported a smell to the city should not be concerned, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker. “The City is aware of the odor and wants community members to know there are no safety concerns related to this. Kansas Gas Service confirmed the odor is not related to natural gas,” Spiker said in a statement Friday morning. The city is working on ways to mitigate the smell which is coming from a failing private businesses’ water waste pre-treatment system, according to the city. Due to the City’s infrastructure, the odor may spread to other areas.
Source: KSNT 27 News
School buses in Garden City now have Wi-Fi
Garden City Public Schools says each of it’s school buses is now a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. The district said its technology and transportation departments worked together over the summer to get Wi-Fi installed on all USD 457 buses. “If you have a child who rides the bus to school, there’s no excuse now for them not doing homework on those long trips,” USD 457 said in a release. The connections are available to any student who wishes to use their time to do homework on the bus.
Source: KAKE – News
Something new along Route 66 coming to Baxter Springs
Visitors to Baxter Springs can look forward to a new roadside park along Route 66. The park will be near the museum and funded in part with the help of a $40,000 state grant. The President of the Baxter Springs Historical Society, Jordan Adams, says the new roadside park would allow both local and international tourists to experience the community. The Baxter Springs museum is open and free to all visitors.
Source: KOAMKOAM
The new 988 crisis line launches Saturday. Here’s how Missouri and Kansas are preparing
Mental health professionals across Missouri and Kansas are preparing for Saturday’s launch of 988, a 24-hour call and text line they expect will change how mental health crises are handled. They hope 988, which will replace the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, can help callers more easily access local help at any hour. “I’m someone who lives with mental illness and so it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh we finally have a resource that we can use,” said Holly Miles, board vice president for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Missouri. “So you’re gonna see this huge flock of people, especially individuals who are in crisis, that finally have this lifeline, this raft, that they can grasp onto.”
Source: KC Star Local News
Atchison voters say no to sales tax
Thursday saw a 15.4 percent voter turnout for the special election involving the 1-cent sales tax for the city of Atchison. The final numbers were 743 voters said NO and 313 voters said YES. Joe Warren, Assistant City Manager, gave a report in May that cited the 2021 survey saying that the survey clearly showed the citizens wanted the streets fixed and property tax reduced. That survey was the springboard to asking for the 1-cent sales tax. One possible reason for the opposition could’ve been the election being rushed giving voters a short period of time to ask questions, although the public meetings showed poor attendance. The 20-year sunset clause seemed to be a concern for the public. With only the streets being cited as the main reason for the tax, many wondered why other issues were not cited for improvements with the help of the tax monies.
Source: News | atchisonglobenow.com
City of Wichita’s social media page has been hacked. Don’t click the link.
The City of Wichita’s Twitter page was hacked, city officials said Friday evening. “We had two factor authorization enacted and changed passwords recently,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely said around 8:30 p.m. “We were alerted by Twitter this afternoon there was a login from Turkey. Then we contacted Twitter immediately and began changing passwords. We hope to have this resolved quickly.” The Eagle reached out to the city after a reporter got an odd message from the city’s Twitter page (@CityofWichita), which has more than 22,000 followers. A city spokesperson responded that they had been hacked and just found out.
Source: Wichita Eagle
People in De Soto are excited for Panasonic’s battery plant, but ‘this is a big jump for us’
People in De Soto, Kansas, are feeling hopeful about the future of their town after Panasonic announced on July 13 that it will build a $4 billion plant in the town to make electric vehicle batteries for Tesla. Still, they have concerns about the environmental ramifications of the plant and how ready De Soto is to welcome thousands of newcomers. Kansas officials estimate that the factory will bring about 4,000 new jobs to the quickly growing town on the edge of western Kansas City. … Kathy Yates is currently looking for a house near De Soto for her and her family. She lives in western Shawnee, Kansas, and is excited about the job opportunities and growth the plant will bring. “My son is getting ready to be a freshman and my daughter’s in eighth grade,” Yates said. “We fell in love with the family feel of out here. For me, it’s one of those small things that I’m excited for.”
Source: KCUR News
Ellinwood celebrates hometown roots
Ellinwood held its 49th annual After Harvest Festival this weekend with a celebration of “Hometown Roots.” Community members who live along the parade route watched from front porches, while others brought chairs downtown for the Saturday morning parade. The Ellinwood Rotary Club has been coordinating the AHF Parade since 1991. … The festival wrapped up Saturday night with a dance featuring Cody Canada and the Departed at the City Park.
Source: Great Bend Tribune
Wichita Firefighter and Family Lose Home, Pets in Thursday Night Housefire
A Wichita Firefighter and his family are without a home following a house fire Thursday night. Jeremy Kuffler was on-duty when the call at his home went out. His wife and two children were not home when the fire started. A neighbor attempted to rescue two of Kuffler’s dogs that were trapped in the home. Unfortunately, the dogs could not be rescued. A GoFundMe page has been set-up to help the family recover.
Source: 101.3 KFDI