Municipal News & Jobs

Kansas Municipal News

Reno County will cover insufficient postage on mail ballots

Reno County advance mail ballot voters are advised in the mailing from the county to put $1.21 in postage on the envelope when mail back the ballot.

A U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp currently costs 50 cents and many voters are putting three such stamps on the large envelope, measuring 14 and a half inches by 9 and one-quarter inches, according to Reno County Clerk and Election Officer Donna Patton.

But if a voter puts insufficient or no postage on the envelope, it still will be delivered to the Reno County clerk’s office. The Postal Service will not send it back to the voter, emphasized Patton.

“We basically have a fund at the Post Office,” Patton said, and county funds are used to cover the cost of insufficient postage.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Wichita firefighters give out coats to students ahead of the cold

As temperatures begin to drop, more people will pull out their winter coats.

But for some families, it’s more of a challenge being able to afford clothes to keep warm.

Those who protect and serve the community, helped ease some that burden for local kids Monday afternoon.

For the third year in a row, Wichita firefighters, in partnership with Operation Warm, are handing out brand new coats to children from low income families. There were a lot of smiles at Colvin Elementary Monday, as students were given the winter essentials.

“It’s getting kind of wintery out,” said Christopher, a student at Colvin Elementary. “It’s almost like Christmas. So, I think that that’s a very thankful thing that they do.”

One by one the kids lined up to get the right size.

“I haven’t gotten a coat from the firemen before and it made me really happy,” said Colvin student Lakeya.

(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)

Andover City Council decision could delay construction on new high school

The Andover City Council Tuesday met to address the future of Butler Community College as it pertains to the college’s planned expansion in the city.

Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence made it clear in Tuesday’s meeting that he has a lot of reservations with Butler’s expansion plans moving forward. He said he wanted to see a plat from the the planning commission detailing proposed changes.

Previously, Lawrence vetoed the special use permit for the expansion of Butler at its campus on East 13th Street. In a letter to the city council he said, “This property is not suitable for current zoning. I renew my objection of placing a community college in the middle of an industrial park. It is not compatible use.”

Tuesday night, the city council decided to move forward for now with an ordinance that is slightly different than the one Lawrence vetoed last month. With Tuesday night’s 5-1 council approval, Butler can move forward with construction to add on to the campus on 13th Street. But the college is holding off for now until a final decision is made.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Edna firefighters get $2,000 grant

The Edna Volunteer Fire Department received a $2,000 grant for firefighting gear from Frontier Farm Credit’s Working Here Fund. The department’s new turnout gear will improve the safety of first responders as they answer emergency calls.

Edna Volunteer Fire Department is one of 16 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the third quarter of 2018. Frontier awarded $24,035 during the latest cycle.

The Edna Fire Department provides Edna, Elm Grove and surrounding townships, with first aid and fire protection. The department has 20 volunteer firefighters. Jason Myers is fire chief.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

City of Shawnee names new community development director

Shawnee City Manager Nolan Sunderman has announced the promotion of Doug Allmon to Community Development Director.

Allmon has nearly 25 years of municipal planning experience and has spent the last 19 years at the City of Shawnee.

In his previous role as deputy community development director, Allmon served as the lead in the development process, working closely with developers, city staff, planning commission members and board of zoning appeals members.

“Doug has proven himself to be an expert in the field. He’s flexible in his work approach and a leader in the department,” said Sunderman. “I am excited to see what the future holds as Doug moves our Community Development Department forward with an open approach and innovative ideas.”

(Read more: The Dispatch stories)

Shawnee Fire Department trains for mass casualty crash

For three consecutive days last week, all 66 Shawnee Firefighters worked their way through a mock mass casualty crash.

Each day the scenario involved a school bus, several vehicles, and volunteers playing the role of injured and hysterical people at the scene. Deputy Fire Chief Sal Scarpa told Operation 100 News this drill was the first time they had the opportunity to use a school bus.

“On a three or four vehicle crash we may see five or six people with injuries,” he said. “The school bus changes everything, and we have to be prepared for that.”

The school bus was donated to the department for use in the scenario by the Kincaid Group which operates school buses for the Shawnee Mission School District as DS Bus Lines.

(Read more: The Dispatch stories)

Developers plan “riverfront village” next to new downtown Wichita ballpark

A group of developers announced Monday they have plans to turn the area north of soon-to-be-razed Lawrence-Dumont Stadium into a ‘riverfront village.’

In a news release, a group called Riverfront Partners LLC — consisting of George Laham of Laham Development, Dave Burk of Marketplace Properties, Dave Wells of Key Construction and Jerry Jones of Jones Commercial Development — said it plans to develop residential, restaurant, entertainment, retail and office space in the area where the Metropolitan Baptist Church sits. According to the release, the development will be called riverfront village. The plans are just the latest in a series of big announcements for the city’s Delano District and its riverfront area downtown. Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell called it a “generational” development.

“We are not just building a baseball stadium, we are building a gathering place for the community that will draw visitors from across the region,” Longwell said. “This will be part of a master plan that will be put together probably in the next couple of months.”

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Registration closing for governor’s water conference

Only two days remain to register for the Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas.

Registration for the seventh annual conference is due Nov. 1. The two-day event, hosted in Manhattan, will cover reservoir management, water technology farms, the Ogallala Aquifer, the implementation of the 50-year Water Vision and more.

A current list of speakers and registration form can be found at http://www.kwo.ks.gov/.

“We encourage anyone to attend who has an interest in our state’s water resources. Legislators, water managers, state, federal, city and county officials, as well as scientists, organizations and agricultural producers, are all welcome,” said Tracy Streeter Kansas Water Office Director.

McPherson company looking to hire hundreds of people

The Pfizer drug manufacturing plant that sits on the northern edge of this central Kansas town of 13,201 is on a hiring spree.
Already at about 2,000 people — 1,700 of whom are full time with the remainder temporary and contract employees — Pfizer’s McPherson plant is looking to hire 350 more workers. It’s already had job fairs in Wichita and Salina as part of its efforts to increase employment at the plant that manufactures sterile, injectable medicines.
“We are seeing an increase in demand, which is driving a number of the head count positions,” said Carole Johnson, Pfizer’s McPherson site leader.

Construction begins on $500K Hanover firehouse

The Hanover City Fire Department has begun construction on a new firehouse. The building will be on Washington Street where the old lumber yard once stood. Fire department members have been raising money since 2000 to build a new firehouse. The $500,000 building will measure 60×100 feet with five truck bays, a meeting room, bathrooms and an office for the fire chief. The building will also feature a city clerk’s office.

Source: Washington County News.

Ford County responds to polling location lawsuit

With a pending American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit, Ford County and the Ford County Clerk’s Office has found outside counsel regarding the change of the polling location from the Dodge City Civic Center to the Western State Bank Expo Center.

The location change, moved the one polling location for Dodge City, outside the city limits on the southend of town.

…Ford County Administrator J.D. Gilbert said in a press release…. that the county is aware of media reports and social media posts relating to a temporary restraining order filed by the ACLU of Kansas.

“Dodge City has maintained a single polling place for all elections for more than two decades,” Gilbert said. “A new polling location had to be selected for the upcoming Nov. 6, general election in the interest of public safety because the previously-used polling place – the Civic Center and parking areas – will soon be used as a staging area for a major construction project.

“The County Election Officer chose the Western State Bank Expo Center as an alternative due to the fact that the county owns the building, carries insurance to cover crowds, is designed for large crowds specifically, has adequate parking, is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and is already part of the county’s operations and planning in relation to severe weather and security response.

“There was no intent whatsoever to discriminate against any group of voters in the selection of this location nor will its use have the effect of discriminating any group of voters.

“Suggestions to the contrary are meritless.”

Lawrence officials raise concerns about possible new tolls

Concerns are being raised about a proposal to make one of Lawrence’s busiest highways into a toll road.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Commission Chair Nancy Thellman says a delegation of city and county officials will testify before the state’s Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force on Nov. 8. They’re against a plan to use tolls collected from the South Lawrence Trafficway to help pay for a potential project to expand the western leg of the road to four lanes.

The South Lawrence Trafficway takes travelers from Interstate 70 northwest of Lawrence to Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence.

County Commissioner Mike Gaughan says he doesn’t want to see Lawrence served by two toll roads. He was referencing the Kansas Turnpike, which goes along Lawrence’s northern border.

Pop-up dog park event draws hundreds to Mission

It’s hard to say who was having more fun at the pop-up dog park event in Mission: the dogs or their humans.

Volunteers for Mission: Dog Park said at least 200 canine participants and their owners dropped by to check out Pop Up Dog Park on Saturday in Broadmoor Park. Christina Farmer, chair of the dog park committee, said the goal of the pop-up dog park was to generate awareness for their goal to build a dog park in Mission. Nick Schlossmacher, a Mission councilmember on the Mission: Dog Park committee, said the pop-up event had great turnout and positive feedback from attendees.

“Even before the event, the social media presence we had generated a lot of good buzz,” he added, citing the 450 survey responses for a new dog park in which 95 percent expressed support.

KPERS’ unfunded liability falls below $9 billion, revenue tops benchmark

The unfunded liability of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System declined by more than $150 million in the previous year and return on the pension fund’s investments exceeded the 7.75 percent target, officials said Monday. KPERS executive director Alan Conroy told House and Senate members of the Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments and Benefits that challenges remained in the system serving state employees, judges, teachers, firefighters and law enforcement officers. But the unfunded actuarial liability dropped to $8.907 billion at the end of 2017 from $9.061 billion at the close of 2016, he said. Members of the joint committee, including Rep. Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican, and Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, said the annual report offered a promising snapshot of KPERS.

“It’s really great to see the consistency in both funding in the returns and the progress in extinguishing the unfunded liability,” Johnson said.

Hensley said that in 2021 contributions by state government to the combined state and school retirement portions of the system would be equal to the actuarial required rate for the first time in 24 years.

Shawnee adding six miles of fiber for network buildout

Shawnee is adding six more miles of fiber as part of its ongoing efforts to build out its fiber optic network.

The city’s goal is to to provide high-speed connections to city facilities and traffic infrastructure, according to an Oct. 22 city memo by Mel Bunting, director of information technology for the city. This network will also provide a regional backbone that connects Shawnee with Johnson County and neighboring cities, he added in the memo.

Shawnee plans to expand the new fiber west of Interstate 435, which will connect fire stations 73 and 74, traffic signals and a potential community center.

Major development to bring restaurants, other businesses to riverfront near stadium

For decades — maybe even longer — Wichitans have complained about the lack of restaurants, bars and other businesses along the Arkansas River.

That’s going to change with Riverfront Village, a 7-acre mixed-use development that Riverfront Partners plans along the river just south of Douglas and north of where the new baseball stadium will be built.

“We want to bring something to downtown, to the river, that truly takes downtown development and river development to a new level,” says developer George Laham.

He’s partners in the project with Old Town developer Dave Burk of Marketplace Properties, Key Construction president Dave Wells and Jerry Jones of Jones Commercial Development.

The developers are working with Metropolitan Baptist Church, which currently is at the property and will retain a small presence with the redevelopment.

City of Topeka defends presence of school zones that aren’t close to schools

A spokeswoman for Topeka’s city government this past week defended the city’s practice of maintaining school speed zones on stretches of S.E. and S.W. 37th streets that aren’t particularly close to any public schools.

Those zones help protect students who walk to school through those areas, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator. Maps of elementary schools, middle schools and high schools available on the website for Topeka Unified School District 501 indicate the elementary school the district maintains closest to the school zone location is Ross Elementary, 1400 S.E. 34th. The closest middle school is Eisenhower Middle School, 3305 S.E. Minnesota Ave., while the closest high school is Highland Park High School, 2424 S.E. California Ave.

Hadfield said Friday that the city maintains a pedestrian crossing in the school zone on S.E. 37th.

The school zone and crossing are in place to serve students who walk to Ross Elementary and Eisenhower Middle schools, she said.

Hays, Sherman Co. among winners of Kansas tourism awards

Kansas tourism professionals presented several awards at the 2018 Kansas Tourism Conference awards banquet held Oct. 24 at the Geary County Convention Center in Junction City. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism presented the following awards.

(Read more: Hays Post)

United Government committee will consider fast-food development that would be financed by public money

…a proposed fast-food development in Argentine funded almost entirely by government grants or tax breaks might be voted on Monday by a committee of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan.

A nonprofit agency, Argentine Betterment Corp., is the developer of a proposed Wendy’s and Pizza Hut restaurant at the southeast corner of Metropolitan Avenue and 21st Street in Argentine, near a Save-A-Lot and Dollar General store.

The developer argues that there’s private money involved through an upfront $1 million loan for the $2 million project. But a closer examination shows that most of the project, including the loan, over time is likely paid through public sources.
…

Unified Government staff said part of the reason it won’t recommend approval of the ABC project is the developer won’t agree to give the property back if it fails to finish the project 18 months after construction begins or if it fails to start construction 180 days after ABC gets all its permits and approvals.

(Read more: Kansas City Star)

In attempt to mitigate noise from house parties, City of Manhattan rolls out party registration program

A new program in Manhattan aims to help with noise mitigation during house parties while building bridges between K-State students and RCPD.

The City of Manhattan announced in a release Monday that they are partnering with the Riley County Police Department and Kansas State University to develop their new party registration program. Party organizers can register their Friday and Saturday night get-togethers through the program. As part of the registry, hosts must share their contact information. That way, should anyone call and complain about the noise generated by the party, officers will be able to call the host and ask that the noise be reduced without an officer having to be dispatched to the scene. If there are repeat noise complaints after a party host is asked to keep it down via phone, officers will come to the address.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Judge to decide if Dodge City needs a second polling site; Ford County says it will immediately appeal if a second site is ordered

A federal court judge is preparing to decide if he should force Ford County to open a second polling site in Dodge City on Election Day. It comes after some voters sued the county last week, with the help of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Americans Civil Liberties Union. At a preliminary hearing held by phone Monday afternoon, Judge Daniel Crabtree was most concerned with the timeline in this case. We are, after all, just a week away from Election Day. He also had questions getting at the intent behind the temporary move of the polling site to a location outside the city limits and behind an error in voting location notices sent to new voters still listing the old site. The judge wanted to know if notices sent to newly registered votes with the old polling site listed on them were sent to all new voters or just some of them. The county’s attorney said, so far as he knew, those went to all newly registered voters.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

KPERS turns in positive report for 2017

After taking steps in recent years to shore up the state’s troubled pension system, Kansas lawmakers got good news about the fund’s long-term outlook Monday.

Its unfunded liability — how much the pension fund will have to pay out over the next 40 years that isn’t covered by current assets and assumed earnings — fell by $154 million during calendar year 2017, while the overall size of the pension fund grew to $19.5 billion.

And even though the remaining size of the unfunded liability, at $8.9 billion, may still appear daunting, the head of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System said the state is now on track to have the entire unfunded liability paid off by 2033, about three years earlier than previously estimated.

“The big part … could be extinguished by that time frame,” KPERS executive director Alan Conroy said in an interview after briefing a joint legislative oversight committee. “The funding is based on getting to that point.”

Want to report dangerous driving? City of Lawrence has a new website for that

The city of Lawrence now has a website for residents to report traffic safety concerns and to potentially get improvements made to roadways and increase traffic enforcement by police.

Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard announced the creation of the website at the City Commission’s most recent meeting. Stoddard said the website allows residents to provide information about any dangerous driving behavior in their neighborhoods.

“So if there are any concerns about people speeding or other hazards that are in the neighborhood, this is a way to get that information to us,” Stoddard said.

Wichita police officer hopes letting cops show tattoos will help with recruitment

Wichita police officers could soon show their body ink if a potential regulation change is approved, and department staff hope it would help with recruitment.

Officer Anthony Villegas, a Patrol East community police officer, told the Wichita police Citizen Review Board last week that he hopes the department will revise its policy.

Current regulation states that tattoos must not show while an officer is on duty, regardless of whether the officer is in uniform or civilian clothes, Villegas said. Facial, head and neck tattoos are not permitted under policy. Capt. Chet Pinkston said the tattoo policy has been debated within the department for the last decade.

“We’re starting to see, frankly, where it’s impacting our ability to attract quality applicants,” he said. “So we have to revisit it from time to time.”

(Read more: Local News |)

City of Topeka to begin installing new water meters Tuesday; majority of 57,000 to be replaced

The city of Topeka will begin rolling out new water meters starting Tuesday as part of a program that will replace the majority of 57,000 water meters.

The new meters will allow readings to be collected wirelessly.

The program will convert commercial and residential water meters to a wireless device that transmits the meter readings on a licensed radio frequency to collectors placed strategically throughout the city, said Ryan Woolaway, the city’s community education manager.

Readings will be transmitted hourly to monitor usage and alert the utility department if a leak is suspected.

“This technology will not only improve the efficiency and accuracy of the meter reading program, it will also improve the customer experience,” Woolaway said.

City survey asks residents how to make Lawrence more bicycle-friendly; lower speed limit for cars among possibilities

Transportation planners are asking residents what changes would help make the city more bicycle-friendly, including the possibility of additional bikeways, amenities and traffic enforcement such as lower speed limits.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization is conducting a survey about potential changes as part of its update to the Countywide Bikeway Plan, which aims to create a low-stress bicycle network throughout Lawrence and Douglas County, according to a city news release.

Specifically, the survey asks residents whether they would support implementing 16 potential changes.

Kansas lawsuit seeks to open second Dodge City voting site

Moving the only polling site in Dodge City, Kansas, outside the city limits will make it more difficult for the city’s majority Hispanic population to vote because they tend to have less access to transportation and flexible work schedules, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday.

The lawsuit also seeks a temporary restraining order that would force Ford County to open a second voting location in Dodge City for the Nov. 6 election after the county sent newly registered voters an official certificate of registration that listed the wrong place to cast a ballot in the general election.

(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

YaYa’s Euro Bistro coming to downtown Salina

Salina 2020, the master developer for downtown Salina’s revitalization, has announced the addition of YaYa’s Euro Bistro, a PB&J Restaurant Inc. concept, to downtown Salina.

Located within the Homewood Suites by Hilton® hotel, currently under construction, YaYa’s will be the hotel’s premier restaurant partner, offering dining and catering options to travelers and residents alike. It is scheduled to open in late 2019.

With 6000 sq. ft. of interior restaurant space, which includes two outdoor patios, guests will delight in an eclectic mix of YaYa’s Italian, French, and Greek cuisines. The Mediterranean mix of oak-fired pizzas, pastas and fresh seafood dishes share the menu with innovative entrees and an array of award-winning catering options.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

Barton County estimates more than $250K in damages from earlier flooding

Barton County Emergency Risk Management Director Amy Miller was contacted by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management this week in regards to the flooding damage from earlier this month.

A damage assessment team came to Barton County this past Wednesday and Thursday to evaluate the damages from the rainfall that dropped as much as 15 inches in the northern portion of the county. Miller anticipated the Kansas Division of Emergency Management would want to finish their meetings with all the counties that experienced damages by the end of next week. Miller stated the majority of Barton County’s damages and expenses came from debris clearance issues underneath bridges and water over the roads which moved gravel.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Salina Fire Department dedicates tribute plaza

More than 100 people turned out Saturday morning for the dedication of the Salina Fire Department’s tribute plaza, including the unveiling of the statue at the heart of the plaza. They weren’t disappointed!

People crowded around the northwest corner of Seventh and Elm, where the plaza is located at Station No. 1. The plaza is a tribute to current and past Salina firefighters and all they have done/do for Salinans and Saline County residents.

The Salina Fire Department Honor Guard raised the United States flag and Robert Levis, Salina Fire Department Chaplain, offered a prayer.

(Read more: The Salina Post)

Economists optimistic about future; poverty still high in Lyon County

Local legislators, business leaders and educators got a snapshot of the future of state and local economies during the 2018 Emporia Regional Economic Outlook Conference Friday afternoon at Emporia State University.

The conference is a program of Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, which collects and analyzes data from around the state to get an accurate picture of regional economic growth around the state. Attendees heard updates on the economic conditions of ESU, the state, low- to moderate-income communities, real estate and Emporia and Lyon County.

ESU School of Business Dean Ed Bashaw said the general feeling on the current state of the state was “cautiously optimistic.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Special training helps Wichita police officers spot struggling co-workers

Wichita police allowed our cameras to record one of its mandatory training focused on helping co-workers who are struggling.

The training is called, “Duty to Intervene.”

Officers are taught how to step in when they see a co-worker struggling in their work or personal life.

“We want officers to go out there, do the right thing, make the right decisions and if they see somebody struggling, see someone getting worked up, they’re going to be the first to know,” said Sgt. Kenneth Kimble with the Wichita Police Department.

Kimble said officers are often the first ones to recognize the signs of distress because they work with one another for 10 hours a day on a daily basis.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Wichita’s biggest employer just put the brakes on a $650 million acquisition

Spirit AeroSystems is putting on hold a $650 million deal that would give it more work on military aircraft and commercial jetliners.

Wichita’s largest employer said Friday it is postponing the deal to acquire the parent company of Asco Industries in Belgium because of issues identified during a review of the acquisition by the European Commission.

Spirit didn’t specify what the issues are. Analysts could press the company for more details when Spirit hosts a conference call next Wednesday to discuss its third quarter 2018 earnings.

“Spirit has decided to withdraw its notification of the transaction from the Commission in order to address those issues,” the supplier to Airbus and Boeing said in a news release. “This will interrupt the Commission’s current review of the transaction. Spirit and Asco will work to refile the notification in a timely manner.”

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

South Hutchinson Police Department installs new Drug Drop Box

The South Hutchinson Police Department is taking a step further in decreasing opioid abuse in Reno County by installing a drug drop box at the police department.

Residents may now take unused and unwanted drugs to the department, 10 E. Blanchard, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to safely dispose of them.

“We are excited to offer a year-round drop off for citizens and hope to make a greater impact in curbing prescription drug abuse in our community,” state South Hutchinson Police Chief Mark Thompson in a release.

The department partnered with Reno County Communities that Care, which wrote a grant to provide funding to purchase the box. Communities that Care is an organization that promotes positive behaviors in youth and works to reduce underage drinking and drug use in Reno County.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Wichita in the running for 700-job USDA research offices

Wichita is among the 136 applicants officially vying to be the new home of major research offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that could bring with as many as 700 high-paying new jobs.

The USDA this week announced the locations and applicants it received after putting out the call in August that it was looking for a new home for its Washington D.C.-based Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

“The interest from across the country has been overwhelming as localities, universities, private entities, and elected officials realize the potential for their communities in becoming the new home for these two agencies,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a press release.

The USDA is working with Ernst & Young to narrow the field and select the winning location or locations for the research offices by January 2019.

(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)

Shawnee Fire Department seeks public input on strategic plan

The Shawnee Fire Department wants your input as it hits the half-way mark on its strategic plan.

In 2016, the department embarked on a five-year strategic plan initiative.

During an upcoming series of meetings, it plans to update the community on its progress towards the goals and objectives set in its strategic plan, plus get input on its future direction. “We’re in an informative age—people are curious what we’re doing with their tax dollars,” said Shawnee Deputy Fire Chief Sal Scarpa. “A lot of citizens in our community are civic-minded and they care about what’s going on in the city. We want to help provide them with that information.”

(Read more: The Dispatch stories)

Reno County Commissioner talks about county zoning for wind towers

The proposed wind farm in southeast Reno County has commissioners considering what they call overlay zoning. It’s used for specific businesses that may want to build in the county.

County Commissioner Bob Bush talked about this controversy with some residents in the Haven area who want a moratorium on any wind towers being built in the county until any zoning can be put in place. At a meeting earlier this month, NextEra Energy told the commission it would abide by zoning in place in the unincorporated area as the company will have to do in the incorporated areas.

Bush wants to make it clear that any zoning put in place by the county would only be for certain industry.

(Read more: Hutch Post)

Could Wichita pools reopen and stay open longer? City floats new ideas for its pools

The City of Wichita is re-examining how many of its public pools to keep open, and how much it’s willing to spend to do so.

Wichita City Council members are looking at three proposals for the future of city pools, two of which would keep more pools open. In all of the plans, the city recommended pools stay open longer — and later into the year.

Currently, the city’s pools are open from 1-6 p.m. six days a week. Under any of the new plans, pools would be open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon-6 p.m. on weekends.

The new proposals suggest pools stay open regular hours through the start of school, then transition to weekends only through Labor Day. That’s nearly a month longer than usual, as Wichita pools have typically closed the first weekend of August at most locations.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Flags to be Flown at Half Staff for Victims of Pennsylvania Shooting (until sunset, October 31)

In accordance with Executive Order 10-12, and following the proclamation of President Donald J. Trump, Governor Jeff Colyer has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from now until sunset, October 31, 2018 as a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence perpetrated at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“We express our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy,” said Governor Colyer. “This was a terrible act of violence perpetrated against innocent victims with every right to peaceably observe their religious beliefs. We grieve for those suffering as a result of this crime, and pray they will find peace and comfort in the days ahead.”

Filmmakers travel across Kansas on foot for documentary on the state’s beauty, people

Two filmmakers and Kansas natives who zigzagged hundreds of miles on foot across the Sunflower State learned more about the state and the people who reside in it, they said.

A portion of a film depicting their travels will be on display in Lawrence this week.
Patrick Ross, originally from Lawrence, and Joshua Nathan, originally from Moundridge, walked across the state on foot in seven weeks in 2015, checking out spectacular monuments in the state and allowing the area in between to “present itself” to them, Nathan said.
“We didn’t want to itinerarize too much,” he said of their travel. “The walk was very important to us to stay on the back roads, stay on the dirt roads, see who we met and let that guide the trip in the moment.”

Commissioner ’embarrassed’ about letter of support for mural

All five Hays city commissioners say they support a proposed historic mural to be painted on the Sternberg water tower by local artist Dennis Schiel.

Ron Mellick voted Thursday against a letter of support from the city which Schiel will utilize in applying for a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in Logan.

Mellick said he was “embarrassed that Mr. Schiel is going to Dane G. Hansen with only a letter of support from us and no financial commitment.” “We have civic groups in the city that adopt city parks and regularly come to us wanting us to match their money to do improvements within the city parks, and we do that,” Mellick said.

“I wonder how many of these things would have happened if we’d only gotten a letter of support from these entities.” “Dennis’s work is world-class and it certainly speaks to the history of our community. There’d be nothing like it in the midwest,” Vice-Mayor Henry Schwaller said.

Schwaller agreed with Mellick’s contention made at the last commission meeting. “We spend a lot of money advertising our town on billboards and I really question the effectiveness of it because you’re going so quickly. And they make no sense. Not a problem with CVB, but they’re awful.

“This is something that is very clear and it says exactly what we are. It doesn’t say ‘Eat. Stay. Dine. Shop.’ From an artistic standpoint it’s phenomenal. It’s also great from a promotional and destination standpoint.

(Read more: Hays Post)

How many county commissioners make a meeting? One wants the attorney general to rule

The day after three Sedgwick County commissioners changed commission rules to allow three of five members to conduct a meeting, one of the dissenting commissioners said he’ll ask the attorney general to review whether that’s legal.

Commissioner Jim Howell, a former state representative, said he spoke with Attorney General Derek Schmidt at a drug summit meeting Thursday morning and asked if it was legal for the commission to reduce its official quorum from four to three members.

“I kind of surprised him with my question,” Howell said. “He said he thought it was a pretty good question.” Howell said he expects to have his formal request, which must be done in writing on official government letterhead, submitted to the attorney general’s office Friday.

The attorney general’s office advises legislators and local officials on legal matters related to application of state law in governing. His opinions stand as guiding law until and unless they get overturned by a court.

(Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Owners of crumbling historic downtown Newton building slowly working on restoration; could result in tax credits

A portion of a wall at 519/520 N. Main facing Main Street crumbled Sept. 24, and since that time it appears little has been done — but the work to get the sidewalk cleaned up and Main Street fully reopened has progressed.

Albeit, behind the scenes. McElroy has been working to help facilitate work on the building — though her role, and the role of the city, is limited.

“It is a privately owned building. It is not an expense of the city nor is it our jurisdiction other than to oversee code in the building,” Kelly McElroy, assistant city manager said.

“We do have things we could do, they are rather heavy handed. We could pursue that as public nuisance,” added Bob Myers, city manager. “We could use some authority and take some immediate actions, though that would be more in the nature of demolition. I think as long as they are making a reasonable effort to keep moving forward I think it would serve our interests to give them some reasonable latitude. … Right now there is no indication that they are doing anything but trying to move ahead as well as they can.

(Read more: Newton Kansan)

More opposition brought to wind project discussion

Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office admitted that new voters in Ford County have been confused about where to cast their ballots, thanks to notifications handed out to all newly registered voters. Those standard notifications, says Brian Caskey in the Secretary of State’s election office, automatically listed the regular polling site instead of the temporary one in use this November.

The county elections office moved the site after pending construction made the regular site at the Dodge City Civic Center unusable. Instead, voters will have to drive out to the Western State Bank Expo Center outside of town.

In the case of the confused newly registered voters, Bryan Caskey with the Secretary of State’s office says Debbie Cox, the Ford County Elections Clerk, is working to contact all new voters to make sure they know exactly where to go.

It’s the twists and turns of this story that have brought journalists from around the world into Dodge City. Commissioner David Bideau said the board is waiting for a report from County Counselor Seth Jones on just how much authority it has over the project.

“It’s not something with a very simple answer,” Jones said.

Polling site confusion in Dodge City draws international attention

Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office admitted that new voters in Ford County have been confused about where to cast their ballots, thanks to notifications handed out to all newly registered voters. Those standard notifications, says Brian Caskey in the Secretary of State’s election office, automatically listed the regular polling site instead of the temporary one in use this November.

The county elections office moved the site after pending construction made the regular site at the Dodge City Civic Center unusable. Instead, voters will have to drive out to the Western State Bank Expo Center outside of town.

In the case of the confused newly registered voters, Bryan Caskey with the Secretary of State’s office says Debbie Cox, the Ford County Elections Clerk, is working to contact all new voters to make sure they know exactly where to go.

It’s the twists and turns of this story that have brought journalists from around the world into Dodge City.

(Read more: KAKE – News)