Kansas Municipal News
Worker rescued after trench collapse in Hutchinson
Rescue crews worked for over three hours Tuesday evening to free a man who was trapped in an eight-foot trench at a Hutchinson mobile home park. Crews were called to the 1700 block of East Blanchard around 5:20 p.m. to find a 24-year-old man who was trapped from the waist down after a wall collapsed in a trench. The worker was repairing a four-inch sewer line when the collapse occurred. Sedgwick County and Newton fire crews helped with the rescue operation, along with Reno County EMS and police from Hutchinson and South Hutchinson. The worker was removed from the trench shortly before 9 p.m. and he was reported to be in good spirits. He was taken to the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Wyandotte County leaders to meet in special session to discuss COVID health measures
Health officials will meet with Wyandotte County leaders in a special session Thursday evening to discuss COVID-19 and any health order recommendations, a spokeswoman for the Unified Government said Wednesday. Unified Government mayor and CEO David Alvey called the special session to be held at 5 p.m. Thursday … “The Unified Government Public Health Department will be presenting the latest data on COVID-19 and any recommendations to the Board of Commissioners,” said Ashley Hand, director of strategic communications for the Unified Government. “The elected Commission is the only body that is able to make any public health orders in Kansas, per state law.”
Source: Derby Informer | News
Derby board clerk Litona Hoyt ‘instrumental’ to district’s operations
Litona Hoyt, clerk for the Derby Board of Education and secretary for Derby’s superintendent, has always had a passion for public service. So when it came time to choose a career field, she knew she wanted to pursue one that would enable her to serve others. “I’ve always been big on community service,” she said. “After taking a few public administration courses, I really liked that aspect ’cause it felt like I had a purpose.”
Source: Derby Informer | News
Johnson County reviewing federal COVID-19 guidance as Kansas City announces mask order
As Kansas City reinstates its mask mandate, health officials in Johnson County said they also are concerned about the spread of COVID-19. “Cases are increasing rapidly, driven largely by the Delta variant. Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is concerned about this,” Sanmi Areola, Johnson County’s top public health official, said in a statement. “We are reviewing the updated guidance from CDC and will continue to update our residents and elected officials.” The Johnson County board of commissioners meet on Thursday. On the agenda is an update on COVID-19 and vaccination in the county.
Source: KC Star Local News
Several Kansas police departments offering free tracking kits to combat catalytic converter thefts
Several area law enforcement agencies have purchased and made a catalytic converter marking kit available to the public. Over the last year, catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise in Cowley County due to the soaring price of precious metals contained in the parts. A setback in tracking catalytic converters is matching them to a particular victim. The CATETCH catalytic converter kit allows vehicle owners to apply an identification number to the converter and register it online. The number can be provided to law enforcement and entered into the National Crime Information Center, which will help them track stolen parts.
Source: KSN-TV
Waterville to note 150 Town to celebrate with old-fashioned fun, fireworks
The sky over Waterville will light up with fireworks to mark the town’s 150th birthday Friday during an evening billed as an “old-fashioned All-American celebration.” For 93-year-old Ray Lindquist, who was born and raised in Waterville, it will be a meaningful day. “The town has really changed over the last 150 years,” said Lindquist, who owned and operated Waterville Lumber Company for 21 years before passing it on to his son in 1992.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
Shawnee County courts back up and running after year long pandemic mitigation efforts
The Shawnee County Courthouse is up and running after more than a year of Covid mitigation efforts. “We are fully back in the flow of things, it’s almost as if Covid never happened around the courthouse,” Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay told KSNT Wednesday morning. Kagay called the screening process for the courthouse “robust.” “I don’t foresee an interruption, I think everyone that has wanted to get vaccinated has had an opportunity to do so,” Mike Kagay said. “I think we are seeing a lot of jurors who have been fully vaccinated and they are very comfortable coming in and serving.”
Source: KSNT News
New Pretty Prairie superintendent says communication is key
For the new superintendent of Pretty Prairie, communication is key. Trained in leadership and communication at Fort Hays State University, Ashley Anderson hopes to implement changes through all channels from parents to staff to the board. Along with sending a weekly report to the board, she will report to all schools as well. During her short tenure, she had the website made more customer friendly, which makes it easier for social media posting, and she is requesting more information be sent to parents. She is also making sure the calendar is up to date.
Source: Hutch News.
Cerner Corp. plans to sell off major WYCO area campus after move to hybrid work
Cerner Corp. plans to sell off one of its major office campuses this year. The healthcare IT company informed employees this week that the Continuous Campus near Village West in Kansas City, Kansas, would go on the market next month as the region’s largest private employer considers its long-term real estate needs. In June, Cerner announced most employees would not be required to return to the office full time after more than a year of working remotely.
Source: Kansas City Star
As delta surges, Kansas health officials retain power; challenge heads to Supreme Court
As COVID-19 cases resurge across the Midwest, Gov. Laura Kelly and local health officials will retain emergency powers curtailed by the Kansas Legislature this spring, after a Johnson County District judge declined Tuesday to set aside his ruling that the changes made by lawmakers were unconstitutional. Judge David Hauber rejected a request by Attorney General Derek Schmidt to stay enforcement of the July 15 ruling while the state pursues an appeal. It could be months before the Kansas Supreme Court issues a final ruling on the matter. In the meantime, Hauber’s ruling opens the way for Kelly to issue a new COVID-19 state of emergency. It also empowers local health officials to once again issue unilateral orders on business closures, capacity limits and masks. An appeals process allowing residents to challenge local health measures will be placed on hold.Source: Wichita Eagle
Cattle Drive in Abilene
Just like in the days of yore, Texas longhorn cattle are about to take over the streets of Abilene. The Sander Ranch Longhorns will be part of Abilene’s Central Kansas Free Fair parade on August 5 at 4 pm, and will be part of the opening of the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo August 4-7. The majestic beasts will go down the parade route, and mill around the arena prior to each night of rodeo. They are owned by Wes Sander of Woodward, Okla., who has had longhorns since 1998. A Woodward, Okla. rodeo committee member, he wanted a way to promote the rodeo. He bought 50 head of longhorn steers, broke to drive. He used them in a cattle drive with great success, garnering publicity from across the state. They “were a huge hit,” he said.
Source: Abilene RC.
Reno County Commissioners won’t pay for Scott Blvd. bridge, will help where they can
The Board of Reno County Commissioners voted Tuesday to clarify that they are not paying for the Scott Blvd. bridge, but they are willing to help with anything they can not involving money. It is County Counselor Joe O’ Sullivan’s legal opinion that they can’t pay for the bridge. “There are three statutes that are used to fund county road and bridge maintenance and replacement, not only for bridges and roads on county roads, but also bridges on township roads and connecting link roads maintenance, which the statute makes the county’s responsibility.” Nevertheless, the commission is okay with Public Works Director Don Brittain helping South Hutchinson as he has attempted to before, to do as much as they can without laying out any specific county funds for replacement.
Source: Hutch Post.
Municipal Bond Trends for July 27, 2021
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.
911 call outage: Sedgwick County Commissioners look into what happened on July 25
A two-hour 911 outage in Sedgwick county this past weekend is raising questions about how the current system works. Elora Forshee, the county director for emergency communications said in Tuesday’s County Commissioner’s meeting that while they knew on Sunday AT&T was going to do testing on the system, they were told everything would remain working. However, being left in the dark for hours with calls not going through was unacceptable, Forshee said during the meeting. “Those are the redundancies that I am pushing back on the coordinating council to say, ‘hey this is not working as promised, you need to evaluate this because we really should not get to a point where the redundancy is pulled at multiple layers where you get to the point to the backup or to another county,'” Forshee said.
Source: KSN-TV
As COVID-19 continue to rise, will Wichita or Sedgwick County issue another mandate?
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple has been watching the COVID-19 numbers closely over the last year. “COVID’s spiking again, it’s just like what we saw last year after a big holiday,” said Whipple. But even with the more contagious delta variant now responsible for most of the new cases in the state, he doesn’t plan on issuing any mandates. “The difference today than it was a year ago is individuals have it within their own power to protect themselves from COVID. Everyone now can go get a free vaccine that has shown to be incredibly effective, even with these new variants,” said Whipple.
Source: KAKE – News
National program aims to bring Wichita families more fresh fruits and vegetables
More than 1,000 Wichita families will receive fresh fruits and vegetables through a national program that launched Monday in Wichita. Good Food for All, an initiative of the nonprofit Partnership for a Healthy America, will distribute more than 600,000 servings of the fruits and vegetables through the Kansas Food Bank and the Greater Wichita YMCA. Families who participate will receive 50 servings of fruits and vegetables weekly for 12 weeks — meant to be enough for each family member to have at least two servings of produce per day.
Source: Wichita Eagle
Just A Small-Town Girl — Stewart reflects on her big Olympic moment
Kelsey Stewart has seemingly accomplished it all. She once struck out all nine batters while pitching a three-inning perfect game in a 19-0 victory against Wichita West in the Class 5A Regional playoffs. She was Kansas Gatorade Softball Player of the Year as a sophomore at Arkansas City High School. She picked up where she left off after two successful seasons for the ACHS softball team with two stellar seasons at Maize High School. She was a four-time All-State first-team selection while also earning letters in basketball and volleyball. Oh, and she was an All-American cheerleader.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
USDA provides $480,000 grant to Erie, KS
The USDA has released a $480,000 loan for the city of Erie.The loan comes from the Rural Economic Development Program. Through the program, the USDA provides zero-interest loans and grants to utilities. This loan, will be used to help the city of Erie buy and operate Stubs Market, the only grocery store in Erie.
Source: KOAMKOAM
COVID-19 exposure closes aquatic center in Garden City
Garden Rapids at The Big Pool in Garden City will be closed through Sunday after the Finney County Health Department notified the aquatic center that some of its employees had been exposed to COVID-19. The business said Monday that the exposure is limited to employees, not patrons, and that the health department is doing contract tracing protocols on many of its employees.
Source: KAKE – News
An outlier in Johnson County, Shawnee Mission to mandate masks for elementary students
The Shawnee Mission school district will require its elementary students to wear masks this fall — making it the only district in Johnson County with a mask mandate for children who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The other five school districts in the county have made masks optional, and only strongly encourage unvaccinated students and staff to wear them. Monday night’s decision by the school board means Shawnee Mission is the only school system following the county’s advice on opening schools safely next month. In the rest of the Kansas City metro, Shawnee Mission is now the third district to require masks for at least some students. Kansas City Public Schools and the Kansas City, Kansas district plan to require everyone to wear masks.
Source: Joco 913 News