Municipal News & Jobs

After Lea Rookwood and her husband had their first son, they knew they could not get a traditional family pet. Her son had terrible allergies, and he would break out in hives around dogs. So, they decided to get a pig. Shera, now seven, is the Rookwood’s family pet. An American Mini Pig from Idaho, she lived with the family first in California, and now Kansas. TOP VIDEOS Now, though, the Rookwoods are being forced to remove Shera from their home by their new neighborhood’s homeowners association. The Rookwoods moved into a house they purchased in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood in Shawnee, Kansas, in the middle of May, and they received a Notice of Violation from the HOA on June 7.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Western Kansas is the place for a quiet, rural lifestyle. But with that comes shortages when you need to see a doctor. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that largely due to this difference in access to health care, rural residents are more likely to die early than urban residents.
Read more: News

A Southeast Kansas fire department welcomes a new apparatus to its fleet. The Columbus Fire Department officially welcomed home its new rescue truck this week. It comes from Texas and costs $135,000.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

The Manhattan city commission on Tuesday heard a revised housing development proposal following the county unanimously striking down the Reinvestment Housing Incentive Districts proposal.
The original proposal would have made use of the RHID state program’s funds. The county’s veto of the project in June took that funding off the table for future projects. The new project, the Workforce Housing Sales Tax Proposal, will rely partly on sales tax funds.
Read more: themercury.com – RSS Results in news of type article

Housing prices have increased by almost 50% in Topeka over the past 10 years alone. 27 News looked at housing price data collected by real estate company Zillow in the City of Topeka. The data shows that since 2014, the price of a house in the Capital City has increased by more than $91,000. Since 2005, homes in Topeka have increased by almost 50%.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach claims in a recently published opinion that Johnson County commissioners acted beyond their authority when they approved a November ballot question asking voters to renew the county’s existing public safety sales tax. … Namely, Kobach says that mental health services and emergency medical services do not qualify as public safety projects.
Read more: KC Star

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.

Because the resolution tries to fund measures that do not qualify as public safety projects and it would fund different projects than that for which the existing tax was enacted, a court would find that the Board has exceeded its authority and that the resolution is null and void.
Read more: AG Opinion 2025-13

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 Crawford County Sheriff’s Office has welcomed a new member to their squad. On Friday, Crawford County Sheriff Billy Tomasi visited the Crawford County Commission, announcing the addition of K-9 to the department. “Our K-9 got delivered last week, he’s down in training right now and it should be done by the end of August, first of September be out on the streets,” said Sheriff Tomasi.
Read more: – Latest Stories

From Arcadia last month to Mulberry this month, the Northeast School District continues to embrace the longstanding history of its surrounding areas. On Thursday, the district hosted “Celebrating Mulberry School History” at the Mulberry Senior Citizens Center. USD 246 Superintendent Ray Streeter and district IT Director Ryan Gath are on a mission to obtain yearbook photos and memories from alumni and residents of Arcadia, Mulberry, and Arma so that they can go into a touchscreen kiosk at the high school.
Read more: – Latest Stories

Police in Ulysses are urging residents to use caution after a recent mountain lion sighting within city limits. In a social post on Saturday, the Ulysses Police Department said it is working with local game wardens to monitor the situation.
Read more: KSN-TV

The lights, the dust, and the roar of the crowd are back in Pretty Prairie this week, as the community hosts the 2025 Pretty Prairie Rodeo. Now in its 89th year, the four-night event attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from across the country and around the world.
Read more: KSN-TV

A “battle” is brewing between first responders in Butler County. Andover’s police and fire departments are competing in the Battle of the Badges to see who can get the most people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood.
Read more: KSN-TV

Firefighters used oxygen to save a dog injured in a house fire Thursday. The Neodesha Fire Department says it happened at a home in a rural area north of Elk City shortly before 12:30 p.m. The department was called to assist the Montgomery Rural, Elk City, and Wilson Rural fire departments in battling the fire. Neodesha firefighters rescued a dog found inside the home. The dog received oxygen from firefighters and was later transported to a veterinarian for evaluation.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum is throwing a birthday party Sunday, July 20, to celebrate 155 years since Sedgwick County was founded—and since Wichita became its first city. The free event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and includes music, an ice cream social, activities, and access to the museum’s exhibits and Heritage Square.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Harvey County Sheriff’s Office is sick of people illegally dumping their trash along rural roads. The sheriff’s office reports that over the past week, deputies have responded to four reports of trash dumping in the county, bringing the total for the year to 19. While the dumping has included the kind of trash one would expect to find, such as cans or yard waste, some of the items have confounded the department. Among the illegally dumped items were a washing machine and a Viking fishing boat that appears to be loaded with furniture.
Read more: KSN-TV

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.

Over 10 years have passed since enough candidates filed for any of the Great Bend’s four City Council wards to force a primary. That is not the case this year, and this runoff rarity is causing some confusion for voters, said Bev Schmeidler, Barton County clerk and election officer.
Read more: Homepage

A Prairie Village resident has refiled in federal court his lawsuit challenging the city’s plans to issue bonds to finance a new city hall project. Originally filed last month in Johnson County District Court, Marc Vianello’s petition seeks to block the city from issuing $27 million worth of bonds for the municipal complex project without taking the matter to a public vote. Late last week, Vianello withdrew that lawsuit and refiled it in the U.S. District Court of Kansas.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Shawnee is getting in on World Cup fever, moving forward with a plan to hold a one-day music and beer festival aimed at drawing tourists to the city’s downtown next summer. The concert is scheduled for June 20, 2026, in downtown Shawnee during one of the group stage matches in Kansas City. It is a collaboration between the city, the Shawnee chamber, business developer Eddie Crane and musician Andrew Morris.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Clusters of empty land with a few small houses sit scattered along 151st Street in Overland Park. The long grass is bright green, with shrubs overgrown and tangled. While it’s vacant now, the city, a developer and landowner are looking at the property to potentially build a new workforce housing project in Overland Park’s Stanley annexation area.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Crews from Wyandotte County Public Works are continuing to respond to flooding, damage and obstructions as a result of overnight storms that brought between 7 and 11 inches of rain to Kansas City, Kansas, the Unified Government said in a press release Thursday. Washed-out streets, erosion, downed trees, hillside slides and road obstructions have been identified by responding crews.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

A recent lawsuit against Prairie Village is now moving to the federal level. In late June, Prairie Village resident Marc Vianello filed the lawsuit in Johnson County District Court against Prairie Village shortly after its City Council approved a project to build a new City Hall and renovate its current municipal complex. The project has been in discussion for years and has become the latest to cause uproar among residents in the northeast Johnson County city.
Read more: Local Kansas City Missouri & Kansas News |

Clay Center officially turned 150 years old on June 11th, 2025. Instead of holding a separate event on the city’s official birthday, the City and Grow Clay County decided they would honor this milestone by making it the heart of Clay Center’s annual Piotique celebration. This year’s theme will be Stars, Stripes, and Small Town Pride.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Wichita school district leaders have given an initial go-ahead to put another bond issue to voters next year. The amount and details of a bond have not been decided. But school board members during a workshop Thursday approved a tentative two-year budget plan that would keep the district’s mill levy flat and seek a bond vote in November 2026.
Read more: News

Like always, Olpe Downhome kept the southern Lyon County community hopping well into the night Saturday. And as usual, activities started around sunrise with breakfast, a bike ride and 5K run/walk to get the event started. Fishing, a vendor fair, car show, volleyball, music, food, a parade, wacky games and a parade were among a day’s worth of highlights.
Read more: d2430

City officials in Ark City Friday said they’re continuing to pursue every possible avenue in helping local businesses to recover from a hail storm in June that caused extensive damage. Some affected business owners have shared struggles with handling the cost of recovery and fear they could be out of business. The June 17 storm, which produced baseball – to softball-sized hail measuring up to 3.75 inches in diameter and wind gusts reaching 86 miles per hour, caused widespread damage to both residential and commercial properties throughout the community.
Read more: Local – Cowley Post

Wichita school district leaders have given an initial go-ahead to put another bond issue to voters next year. The amount and details of a bond have not been decided. But school board members during a workshop Thursday approved a tentative two-year budget plan that would keep the district’s mill levy flat and seek a bond vote in November 2026. Addi Lowell, chief financial officer for Wichita schools, said another bond issue is the only reasonable way to finance needed repairs and upgrades, and the timeline would work in the district’s favor.
Read more: Wichita Kansas Local News, Crime & More |

Hand-carved signs welcome motorists to Arkansas City. Few people realize how much work went into the three new stone welcome signs at the entrances to Arkansas City. The wording and the logo are not just painted on, everything is actually carved into the stone, and all of that work was done by hand. Craig Wilson of Mulvane and his apprentice, Laura Macias, did the carving on all three of the stone signs that welcome visitors to Ark City. Wilson said once the design was completed and given to them, they drew it on the stone using a stencil that was provided by the designer.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com – RSS Results

Under K.S.A. 12-757, if owners of 20 percent of the total real property within specified distances from land to be rezoned sign a protest petition, the governing body must approve the rezoning by a supermajority. If a protesting owner is a tenant in common or a joint tenant with right of survivorship in a relevant tract, their signature requires that acreage proportionate to their ownership interest within the specified distance be counted toward the 20 percent needed for a successful protest petition.
Read more: Kansas Court of Appeals

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.

Property maintenance director John Schardine said the city doesn’t like to have condemned properties on the books for long if it can be avoided. “We always like to lift the condemnations as quick as possible,” Schardine said. “So, once the occupants are out of that house, there’s really no reason to condemn it, unless it’s unsafe. So, if it’s a structure violation, yeah, we’re going to keep it condemned until it’s brought into compliance. “But if it’s a just a utility issue with sanitation, we will get the folks out. We’ll secure it. We’ll tell the owner he’s got to keep it secured and then we can lift the condemnation.”
Read more: CJonline

An online public opinion survey indicated 58% supported the initiative, with 40% opposed and 2% no opinion. Overland Park, Prairie Village, Salina, El Dorado, WaKeeney, Pratt and Goodland are among the Kansas cities that allow chickens.
Read more: Hays Post

First responders from Ellinwood and Great Bend spent more than four hours in the July heat Wednesday afternoon during a water tower rescue operation… A water cleaning crew was doing routine maintenance inside the water tower. He fell while inside the tower… it was an extensive extrication just because of the height and all the technical rescue that goes into that.
Read more: Great Bend Post

The Abilene City Commission voted to hire Jon Quinday during a special meeting June 26. Quinday began his role July 1.
Read more: Abilene RC

The additional revenue would primarily fund street and sidewalk projects outlined in the city’s capital improvement plan.
Read more: Abilene RC

City Manager Scarlette Diseker said “this is a great attraction for our community – it’s not only for the residents who live here, but also for people who are passing through.”
Read more: Liberal First

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 unemployment rate in Emporia has shot up to 5.7% in May of this year according to the Kansas Department of Labor. Struggles for many Emporians to retain and find jobs can be traced back to layoffs of workers at the Michelin and Tyson plants, along with the closure of Holiday Resort.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

The Holcomb Police Department has announced its brand-new Bike Patrol Unit. This is a proactive step toward enhancing community engagement, improving public safety, and increasing officer visibility in neighborhoods, parks, and public events. The Bike Patrol Unit is designed to strengthen the department’s presence in areas that are difficult to patrol by vehicle and foster stronger relationships between officers and community members. Officers on bike patrol will be able to respond quickly in crowded areas, navigate tight spaces, and engage more personally with residents.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

The North Newton City Council decided to offer a retention bonus to fill the town’s police department sergeant position that has been vacant for years. “To be more competitive and get more applications, the council authorized a signing and retention bonus up to $10,000 for the position,” City Administrator Bradley Harris said. The council was fine with the amount, but discussion centered around the retention schedule, Harris said. The position has been unfilled for close to three years, Harris said.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Mayor Dennis Travis was absent, as were council members Denice Klassen and Shawna Will. The No BESS crowd was modest, but no one spoke at the public forum during Halstead’s City Council meeting on Monday evening. Yet, the most significant action to date was taken by the council relating to the battery energy storage system. With a unanimous 3-0 vote, the council approved a resolution providing a temporary moratorium on BESS over 80 kilowatt hours (kWh) within city limits until Jan. 1, 2028.
Read more: Harvey County Now

A federal lawsuit filed earlier this year with the aim of stopping NextEra Energy Resources’ plans to place a 5,000-acre solar farm in southwestern Jackson County has been dismissed by a federal judge who said that the plaintiffs in the case lacked the standing to sue, it has been reported.
Read more: The Holton Recorder

Electric-vehicle battery production is underway at Panasonic’s $4 billion plant in De Soto. The manufacturing facility at 10301 Astra Parkway is Panasonic’s second U.S. plant and its largest production facility so far. Panasonic anticipates the De Soto plant will boost its U.S.-based production capacity to approximately 73 gigawatt hours.
Read more: Kansas City Business Journal – Local Kansas City News