Kansas Municipal News
Inflation rises 7% over the past year, highest since 1982
Inflation plowed ahead at its fastest 12-month pace in nearly 40 years during December, according to a closely watched gauge the Labor Department released Wednesday. The consumer price index, a metric that measures costs across dozens of items, increased 7%, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a monthly basis, CPI rose 0.5%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting the gauge to increase 7% on an annual basis and 0.4% from November.
Source: CNBC
Kansas receives $72 million to help families pay energy bills
To qualify, applicants must be responsible for direct payment of their heating bills. Income eligibility requirements are set at 150% of the federal poverty level. The level of benefit varies according to household income, number of people living in the home, type of residence, type of heating fuel and utility rates. Applicants need to have made payments on their heating bill two out of the last three months. Those payments must be equal to or exceed $80 or the total balance due on their energy bills, whichever is less.
Source: KAKE – News
Topeka history buff taking personal collection public to educate community
A Topeka man is taking years of history and putting it into one room, to educate people about the history of Topeka and trains for free. Did you know there used to be an amusement park in Topeka? Or that many trains dropped off and loaded materials through the Capitol City? If you knew these things, you might be a history buff like Bruce Beach. If you didn’t, well, you might want to meet Bruce Beach. Beach loves two things: trains and history. He got the chance to combine the two a little while back. “I wanted to build an amusement park on my model train layout,” Beach said. “I got online and found a website called, De Funked Amusement Parks and it had it broken down by every state in the union. I punched on Kansas and lo and behold it had Vinewood.”
Source: KSNT News
Humboldt makes big splash on worldwide tourism list
Wow. There are a lot of Humboldts in this world, but yes, Humboldt, Kansas is on the list of the 2022 “52 Places” published by the New York Times. The newspaper describes it: “Our annual list of destinations to visit this year looks at spots where visitors can be part of the solution to problems like overtourism and climate change.” Humboldt is No. 36. Gabriela Herman of the Times wrote the description. “In 2016, a group of Kansas locals who had left decades ago began asking themselves, ‘What would it take to move back home?’ The answer lay in tiny Humboldt, two hours southwest of Kansas City with a population of fewer than 2,000 people. With the support of the local community, the group established an organization, A Bolder Humboldt, to revitalize rural living, with the town becoming an unexpected and affordable oasis of cool surrounded by fields of wheat and soybeans. A Bolder Humboldt has already opened shops, community gardens and co-working spaces, with a boutique hotel, a honky-tonk bar and a bookstore all in the works. Outdoor movies are screened on the town square, and the whole town participates in an annual water fight. Base Camp is a collection of lakeside rental cabins at the edge of town, and cyclists can ride a 60-mile trail to nearby Lawrence and the University of Kansas. Humboldt is betting these elevated experiences will draw both locals and tourists to the glories of the Great Plains.”
Source: The Chanute Tribune
Kansas reduces requirements for substitute teachers
Substitute teachers in Kansas will not be required to have college credit hours under an emergency declaration approved Wednesday in response to a worsening staff shortage in the state’s schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new rule temporarily eliminates a requirement that substitutes have a minimum of 60 semester credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university. The Kansas State Board of Education said the changes will last only until June 1, when the more stringent requirements will return. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said during the state board meeting that he knew of four school districts ready to close because they don’t have enough staff, which he called “the tip of the iceberg.”
Source: Andover American
Bonner Springs, Edwardsville schools canceling classes due to spike in illnesses
The Bonner Springs/Edwardsville School District announced Wednesday that it is canceling classes for the rest of the week due to an uptick in student and staff absent due to illness. The school district released a statement Wednesday afternoon stating “in an effort to give our school community time to get well and avoid causing further disruption in the learning process, school will not be in session on Thursday, January 13 and Friday, January 14. The school district will also be off Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF
Newton Police become marshals
There’s a new marshal in town or, marshals. With Newton’s 150th Anniversary coming up, (sesquicentennial, if you want to get fancy) the police department decided to pay homage to an earlier time. “The first law enforcement officers in Newton were called city marshals,” Newton Director of Communications Erin McDaniel Stated. “This was Chief (Craig) Dunlavy’s idea to tap into the anniversary year to show the department’s community pride and do something fresh and fun to set our department apart.” Newton police officers will have badges identifying them as marshals. The patrol cars will also have a logo that says marshal, as well.
Source: Harvey County Now
Main Street Newton saturated in color
A years-long process has come to a completion with the installation of the Newton Murals & Arts Project’s latest project last week on Main Street. The artwork features Newton and Kansas symbols and images, including a meadowlark, Newton flag, water tower, railroad tracks, Old Mill, Harvey House girl, Santa Fe railroad emblem and saloon doors. The mural is called the Newton Historic Mural, which is located in Railroad Park. The mural is hard to miss driving north on Main Street, as it stands on the west side of the road just before the train tracks. The freestanding structure is done in saturated colors and was designed by Andrea Braker, a member of the board.
Source: Harvey County Now
County workers get ARPA pay bonus
Both full and part-time county employees have received a “one-time, premium pay bonus” for their efforts as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been reported. The Jackson County Commissioners recently approved a motion to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funds for the bonuses. A total of 117 full-time employees received $1,000 each and 14 part-time employees received $500 each. The bonuses totaled $124,000, it has been reported. The bonuses are for “maintaining the continuity of operations and essential services through the pandemic,” which qualifies under ARPA stipulations, it has been reported.
Source: Holton Recorder
Kansas has billions of dollars in surplus. Here are 9 ways the governor wants to spend it
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration laid out a plan Wednesday to cut taxes while spending more on education, law enforcement and mental health services as state lawmakers consider what to do with a surplus that could top $3 billion. The details came as her administration revealed the budget plan hinted at in her State of the State address Tuesday night. “There’s a host of investments,” Budget Director Adam Proffitt told lawmakers. “There’s debt paid down. There are savings accounts. There’s investing in core programs.”
Source: KCUR News
El Dorado schools closing due to staff shortage, absent students
Schools in the El Dorado school district, USD 490, will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 14. According to a post on the El Dorado Schools Facebook page, the final decision to close school buildings was made based on staffing shortages and student absenteeism. El Dorado school officials are working to reschedule any athletics and activities impacted. The two extra days off give students in the district a five-day weekend, as Monday, Jan. 17 is a federal holiday that celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Source: KSN-TV
County, city honor outgoing mayor
Dec. 30 was Mark Govea Day in Miami County. County Commission Chair Rob Roberts and Commissioner George Pretz, who represents the Osawatomie area, presented a proclamation to the outgoing Osawatomie mayor during the City Council’s Dec. 30 meeting at City Hall. The commissioners thanked Govea for his service to the community. Govea was elected mayor in April 2013 and had served in the position for nearly a decade. He was defeated in the Osawatomie mayoral race in the November general election by Councilman Nick Hampson.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Spring Hill superintendent announces retirement
Spring Hill USD 230 Superintendent Wayne Burke recently announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Upon his retirement, he will have served 32 years in education, 22 years in USD 230 and seven years as a superintendent, according to a school district news release. “We are grateful for the leadership and insight Dr. Burke has provided during his tenure in the Spring Hill School District,” Spring Hill Board of Education President Doug Updike said. “During his tenure, he has built and led strong teams that have successfully accomplished major initiatives ranging from continuous improvement in student achievement and strengthening partnerships with our stakeholders to multiple successful bond issues and addressing rapid growth. Great teams do not just happen, but rather are created from a clear leadership vision. Dr. Burke has encouraged innovative thinking and motivated people to passionately pursue excellence.”
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Proposal to convert Overland Park home into ‘sober living facility’ draws scrutiny from neighbors
The house at 9119 W. 113th Street in Overland Park represented a chance at a new life for Kar Woo’s parents when they emigrated from Hong Kong more than three decades ago. Now that they are gone, Woo, founder of the non-profit Artists Helping the Homeless, hopes to offer the same thing to people struggling with addiction. “I feel like this house has provided the opportunity for my parents to start a new life. I think this will give other people from here the opportunity to start a new life also,” said Woo, who lost his mother to cancer last year and still lives in the neighborhood.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Kansas Gov. Kelly tells lawmakers to freeze college tuition and end the sales tax on food
Gov. Laura Kelly challenged Republicans who control the state Legislature to freeze tuition at the state’s public colleges and to give her a bill that ends the sales tax on groceries by month’s end. … Kelly laid out a series of spending proposals, which are made possible because the state’s reserves could grow to $3 billion by the end of the budget year. She promised money to the state’s withering water plan and an end to transfers from the Kansas highway fund that’s been used to help pay for general state operations for years. The governor also promised more money for law enforcement and raises for members of the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Source: KCUR News
Markets and the economy brace as the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike could come in two months
If everything goes according to plan, the Federal Reserve in a little over two months will enact its first rate increase in three years, a move policymakers deem necessary and that markets and the economy are grudgingly coming to accept. The Fed last raised rates in late 2018, part of a “normalization” process that happened in the waning period of the longest-lasting economic expansion in U.S. history. Just seven months later, the central bank retreated as the expansion looked increasingly fragile. Eight months after that initial cut in July 2019, the Fed was forced to roll back its benchmark borrowing rate all the way to zero as the nation confronted a pandemic that threw the global economy into a sudden and shocking tailspin.
Source: CNBC
Local emergency departments struggling with number of staff due to COVID-19
Many first responders are out with COVID-19, leaving emergency departments juggling what staff they do have. The COVID-19 numbers are up for the delta and omicron variants. “And you know it has gone up in recent weeks but not nearly what we saw in late 2020,” said Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay. “Our officers are first responders, so they have been on the front end.” Leaders from a local Fire union, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) #135, say firefighters are feeling the effect of COVID-19 taking out staff.
Source: KSN-TV
Ignite Emporia to bring digital job skills training to 20 Emporians
Ignite Emporia announced Tuesday afternoon that it will work in partnership with the Center on Rural Innovation’s Future is Digital Challenge skills development program to provide high-demand digital job training for 20 individuals in the Emporia community. Emporia was selected by CORI to be a part of the program, which is funded by a grant from Microsoft and will equip participants with professional skills coaching in one of three tracks: digital marketing, project management or sales representation. “It’s open to the general public, anybody that’s interested in adding this to their plate for the spring of 2022,” said Ignite Emporia director Rob Gilligan. “It’s a great way to build up their skills and their resume and move on to other opportunities for workforce development.”
Source: Emporia Gazette
As COVID-19 surges amid EMS shortage, JoCo officials consider changes to 911 responses
As emergency medical resources have been strained by staffing shortages and a resurgence of COVID-19, Johnson County officials are considering changes to the way ambulances respond to 911 calls. Dr. Ryan Jacobsen, medical director for the Johnson County EMS System, said Tuesday that options are being weighed to weed out unnecessary calls for service such as mild illnesses. That could include a more in-depth screening process during 911 calls before dispatching an ambulance or having emergency responders advise patients to stay at home, Jacobsen said. “We’re trying to keep ambulances available for the true emergencies, traumatic injuries, car accidents, life-threatening things,” Jacobsen said during a COVID-19 briefing hosted by KU Health System, describing the potential move as unprecedented for the Kansas City area.
Source: KC Star Local News
3 Johnson County cities will consider new mask mandates Wednesday
With the Omicron variant spurring new case numbers to record highs across the Kansas City metro, the cities of Mission, Prairie Village and Roeland Park on Wednesday night will hold special city council meetings to consider instituting new citywide mask mandates. Prairie Village and Roeland Park were the only two Johnson County municipalities to put mask orders in place during last fall’s spike fueled by the Delta variant. It’s not clear if there is enough political appetite in any of these cities to implement new mask orders now.
Source: Prairie Village Post