Kansas Municipal News
Stray bullets discharged in county can net fines
Gun owners and property owners will now be held responsible for discharging firearms in unincorporated Johnson County. The ordinance passed 7-0 at Johnson County Board of Commission’s Aug. 26 meeting. Fines will range from a minimum $500 to $1,000 per violation. Discharged bullets that leave the boundaries of their property and land on another property without consent or are discharged on a property without consent will be in violation, Peggy Trent, chief counsel and county legal advisor, said. Trent said the discharge of a firearm is allowed in lawful defense or by a law enforcement officer, however. Calvin Hayden, Johnson county sheriff, said he received 22 calls from 19 addresses between August 2 2019 and June 13 2021.
Source: Gardner News
First look inside Park City Amazon fulfillment center
We’re getting the first look inside Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Park City. The massive building is the size of 17 football fields. The 1.2 million square foot facility equates to about 10,000 storage units. The fulfillment center is wrapping up its third week of operation. Right now, there are 700 associates working inside the center. HR partner Cassondra Redmond says it’s bringing a lot of excitement to the community. “When I go to the grocery store, if I have on my Amazon t-shirt I get questions, customers asking, ‘Hey are you hiring ?’ So I think it’s impacting people. They’re excited we’re here and we are too,” Redmond said.
Source: KAKE – News
Experts weigh in on Hillsdale Lake, Golden
County Commission Chair Rob Roberts summed up a three-hour session about the intermodal’s effect on the Hillsdale Watershed with one sentence. “So far, I haven’t heard anyone really tell me that a warehouse building [and its impervious surface] creates much more of a problem than the velocity from a momentary 2-inch, 5-inch rain,” Roberts said at the Wednesday, Aug. 25, study session. It’s a function of where that warehouse is and what it picks up as it washes stormwater runoff down to the reservoir, said Tom Stiles, director of the Bureau of Water at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Stiles said KDHE does not regulate impervious surface.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Fed chairman sees taper by the end of the year, but says there’s ‘much ground to cover’ before rate hikes
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated Friday that the central bank is likely to begin withdrawing some of its easy-money policies before the end of the year, though he still sees interest rate hikes off in the distance. In a much-anticipated speech as part of the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, symposium, Powell said the economy has reached a point where it no longer needs as much policy support. That means the Fed likely will begin cutting the amount of bonds it buys each month before the end of the year, so long as economic progress continues. Based on statements from other central bank officials, a tapering announcement could come as soon as the Fed’s Sept. 21-22 meeting.
Source: CNBC
Longtime artist, teacher gives back to Eudora community through a new sculpture
Gary Hinman has always been able to find something special in the objects right under our noses. At 5 years old, he started a collection in a candy box of tiny found objects. He picked up every bottle cap, shiny piece of glass, or rusty nail that caught his eye. Now, as an artist, he has a garage full of artwork inspired by those types of objects. Some of his sculptures are made out of rusted abandoned tools he found at Clinton Lake or sticks he’s picked up. For Hinman, “junk” isn’t really junk. “I’ve always liked the idea of reusing things that have maybe gone to waste or have been discarded and trying to find visual interest in those things,” Hinman said. “That’s kind of the driving force behind my art.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the area to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during 9/11
The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the area to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during 9/11. The department will be hosting it’s Nine Eleven Stair Climb, to raise money for the Jed Head Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit local firefighter training. Teams and individuals will climb the seven story Belmont Towers in Parsons 15 times, equaling 105 stories and 2,205 steps in total. The climb costs $50 per person. Any firefighters interested can email or call the Parsons Fire Department.
Source: KSNF/KODE
One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion
One Southeast Kansas town braved the rain to celebrate a monumental occasion. The city of Walnut, Kansas celebrated it’s 150th anniversary this weekend. Everything kicked off with the city’s 5K fun run Saturday morning. After the race the city gathered on Main Street to enjoy local vendors and food. Families, businesses, state and county officials also marched in the festival’s annual parade. Marena Kirkpatrick, Walnut Days Planning Committee, says, “It’s a huge accomplishment just to make sure that we all just come together, it’s just really pulling our community together and enjoying everybody’s company since it’s been some hard years and to make sure we honor the history of where we came from.”
Source: KSNF/KODE
Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday
Southeast Kansas took a trip back in time Saturday. Saturday concluded the fifth annual Living History event at the Crawford County Historical Museum. Visitors got the chance to explore the history of Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri during the Civil War. The free event gave visitors a look into soldier camp life and Dutch oven cooking. On Friday students stopped by for a hands on lesson in local history. Shawn Pryer, Mighty Mo Chuck Wagon, says, “It’s amazing, because some of the questions they’ll ask, and then they’ll really get to realizing, ‘well that was hard work. They had to do that? Walk! They didn’t ride in these wagons?’ exactly and the kids have a great time with it.”
Source: KSNF/KODE
Blue Valley family sues Johnson County over order mandating COVID masks in schools
A Blue Valley parent and middle school student are suing the Johnson County Board of Commissioners over its mask mandate in some schools, arguing that the pandemic health order is overly restrictive as it lasts through the end of the school year. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser is representing the Blue Valley student, who is only identified by the initials M.M.C. in the lawsuit. The child’s parent is identified as B.C. The child attends a school affected by Johnson County’s health order, which mandates masks in private and public schools serving children as old as sixth grade. The Blue Valley school district went beyond that and mandated masks for all grade levels, worried that classrooms of unmasked and unvaccinated children would lead to COVID-19 outbreaks and possible closures.
Source: Joco 913 News
Lawrence eco devo leaders launch $2.5 million fundraising campaign to boost county’s fortunes post pandemic
Post-pandemic life — whenever that begins — is likely to feature a race. It will be between communities looking to prosper. Local leaders are betting that the winners will be those communities that have the ability and resources to adjust to the new environment left in the wake of the pandemic. Leaders with The Chamber and the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence and Douglas County on Tuesday evening kicked off a new phase in that effort with the launch of a $2.5 million, five-year fundraising campaign to support economic development initiatives ranging from traditional activities like industrial attraction to less standard programs like the creation of new workforce child-care programs.
Source: LJWorld.com
Employers in Dodge City continue to search for the right candidates
Coming out of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and employers either had to make adjustments to its workforce or operation hours. As 2021 moved along, things seemed to be getting better until the Delta Variant and others like it began to reshape the rest of the year in terms of employment opportunities. For businesses in Dodge City, pandemic or not, it has been a tough going in finding the right candidate to fit the job. “It’s tough to find quality help,” said Brock Cunningham, general manager of Best Western Plus Country Inn & Suites in Dodge City. “We have a great staff at this time but are we looking for more? Absolutely. We try to hire extra for back up but the economy is tough.”
Source: Dodge Globe
Help wanted’ in Hutchinson
New signs have gone up in the doors or windows of several retail locations in Hutchinson in recent weeks. The makeshift “Reduced Hours” signs have joined “Help Wanted” and “Immediate Interviews offered” as local businesses struggle to find enough workers to fill shifts. And it’s not just restaurants or retailers being challenged. While finding qualified workers is not a new issue for many businesses in Hutchinson or Reno County, said Mike Chisam, president and CEO of Kansas Protein Foods in Hutchinson and Kansas Ethanol in Rice County, it’s one of the most difficult labor markets he’s seen in 25 years of managing companies. That despite a local unemployment rate pegged last month at 4.7% for Reno County and 5.1% for Hutchinson.
Source: Hutch News
Plenty of jobs still available in Salina
As Labor Day is upon us, Salina and surrounding communities are still in need of workers in the labor force. Leaders from these areas say openings and opportunities for employment are there, as are tools to help people find jobs. Eric Brown, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce said it’s hard not to drive around the community without seeing now hiring or help wanted signs. “There’s 1,554 jobs open and being actively advertised as of (Aug. 30),” Brown said of where the market is in Saline County. He said that encompasses 266 different occupations and over 510 employers that span a number of different industries and fields.
Source: Salina Journal
Topeka sewage sees high percentage of genetic remnants of COVID-19 when compared to 330 other communities
Topeka’s Oakland Wastewater Treatment plant recently had more genetic remnants of COVID-19 floating in its sewage than 91% of the other facilities evaluated in a nationwide study. The Oakland plant at 1115 N.E. Poplar Ave. is among about 330 treatment plants that took part in the study by Biobot Analytics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based wastewater epidemiology firm. The company tested sewage for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The study’s results offer a rough measure, in hindsight, of how often people in the areas involved were infected with the coronavirus, said Dan Zeller, plant operations manager for the city’s water pollution control division.
Source: CJonline.com.
Lawrence City Commission to discuss implementation plan for police study, decriminalization, other criminal justice reforms
After a study of the Lawrence police department generated 75 recommendations for changes, city leaders will soon get an update on the changes that have been made so far and discuss other ongoing criminal justice reform efforts. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will receive an update on the implementation plan for the recommendations from Citygate Associates. The commission will also discuss the potential repeal or amendment of various city ordinances in an effort to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness and other social issues.
Source: LJWorld.com.
Finney County has jobs, but bodies are needed to fill them
Unemployment numbers have remained low in Finney County throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Lona DuVall, President/CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, said unemployment in Finney County is 2.9% as of Aug. 14. “It’s important to note that we just recently were able to get actual numbers on how many people are actually on unemployment here,” she said. The Kansas Department of Labor’s latest unemployment numbers show an unemployment rate of 3.8% with the department claiming a workforce population of 1,514,522 people, of which 1,456,792 are employed and 57,730 are unemployed.
Source: GC Telegram.
When will the worker shortages end?
his Labor Day, the nation faces an overriding question. Where is the labor? And when is it coming back? The most severe worker shortages on record largely were expected to ease this month with the reopening of schools and expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits on Monday. Those milestones theoretically would allow millions of parents caring for their remote-learning kids to return to work and prod millions of unemployed people to more fervently hunt for jobs and accept offers. It’s proving not so simple.
Source: GC Telegram.
Former home of Wolfe’s Camera to become site of Topeka’s multimillion-dollar downtown innovation campus
GO Topeka has found a home for its forthcoming innovation campus. The local economic development agency announced Thursday it partnered with BioRealty Inc. to close on multiple properties in downtown Topeka, as part of the multimillion-dollar effort to stand up an innovation campus that will serve as the hub for Topeka’s Plug and Play accelerator program and other innovative endeavors in the capital city. The campus is expected to be dubbed the ASTRA Innovation Center and will be located in the former home of Wolfe’s Camera Shop, which closed earlier this summer after 97 years in business.
Source: CJonline
Community members concerned by law enforcement pursuits in Wichita neighborhood
Concerned residents in south Wichita say they’ve seen an increase in law enforcement pursuits go through their neighborhood and now they are speaking out. This is the scene after a high speed chase involving Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies in south Wichita — The aftermath sent three people to the hospital, totaled two cars and destroyed the side of a nearby home. “We’ll have police chases all the time, it seems like now,” said Mark Johnson. Johnson, who captured drone video of the crash over the weekend at Irving and Meridian, said he’s lived in the neighborhood for 11 years now, and the area has become more dangerous.
Source: KAKE – News
In with new, out with old. Olathe Courthouse to be replaced by Johnson County Square
Crews have finished demolishing the old Johnson County County Courthouse in downtown Olathe, and it will be replaced by an outdoor public space called Johnson County Square. The last walls of the old courthouse, left empty when a new courthouse opened across Santa Fe Street in January, came down early on Aug. 25. The demolition is being followed by debris removal and back-filling of the foundation with about 15,000 cubic yards of dirt that were removed during excavation for the new courthouse. In a news release, project manager Kyle Heltne estimated that the recycled dirt weighs about 33 million pounds. It had been stored at the New Century AirCenter.
Source: KC Star Local News