Kansas Municipal News
Goal: Fill new library
A fundraising effort dubbed Project Bookshelf has begun to add new books for the new Iola Elementary School, now under construction. A new fundraiser has started to help fill the library with books once the new Iola Elementary School is built. Volunteers with the USD 257 Endowment Association have launched Project Bookshelf, with the aim of buying assorted books for readers at varying grade levels, explained organizer Becky Nilges.
Source: The Iola Register
Johnson County Museum recognized for its exhibits cataloging COVID-19’s impact on JoCo
The Johnson County Museum earlier this year received an award from the Kansas Museum Association for its efforts to collect and showcase the local community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kansas Museum Association recognized the Johnson County Museum with an Award of Excellence for its project, “Collect, Curate, Partner, Serve: Johnson County Museum’s Response to COVID-19,” which examines the pandemic’s impact on Johnson County and the community’s response to it. The association gave this award during its virtual luncheon last month.
Source: Prairie Village Post
Kansas dairy industry is growing, but small dairy farms continue to shrink
Kansas’ dairy industry has grown significantly during the past two decades, with an outlook for continued growth. Milk production in Kansas during October 2020 totaled more than 330 million pounds. This is up 4% from last year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. There are twice as many dairy cows in Kansas as there were twenty years ago. As of October, more than 170,000 dairy cows were in circulation. This number is 7,000 more than last year, the USDA reported.
Source: Community – Cherokee County News Advocate
Kansas Commerce Secretary will become the new Lieutenant Governor
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has named Commerce Secretary David Toland as the new Lieutenant Governor. Toland will take over in January after the current Lieutenant Governor, Lynn Rogers, moves into the State Treasurer’s office. Rogers was appointed last week to fill a vacancy created when Treasurer Jake LaTurner was elected to the 2nd District Congressional seat.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
Kansas receives its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Kansas health care workers have begun receiving the first of the state’s coronavirus vaccines amid an ongoing surge in cases that has left hospitals stressed. A spokeswoman says that five employees of the Via Christi Ascension health care system received shots Monday at its St. Francis hospital in Wichita, including a critical care nurse, a housekeeper for a COVID-19 unit and a respiratory therapist. Doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer began arriving in Kansas after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized its emergency use Friday. Kansas officials expect the state to receive the first of two doses for 23,750 people this week.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI
New hope for controversial Johnson County development, but neighbors still fighting
Overland Park developers on Monday won a second chance at building a $55 million apartment complex at the Ranch Mart South shopping center — a controversial project that was at first unanimously rejected by the City Council. EPC Real Estate Group is proposing the apartment complex, which will require redeveloping a strip of deteriorating duplexes and an existing parking structure at the shopping center, on the southeast corner of 95th Street and Mission Road. The Overland Park Planning Commission voted 7-3 to approve the rezoning for a scaled back version of the complex, which will now include 190 apartments, down from 210. The new proposal will next go to the City Council for final approval on Jan. 11.
Source: Joco 913 News
Municipal Bond Trends for December 11, 2020
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.
Broadband Acceleration Grant Program now accepting submissions
Prospective applicants for the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program at the Kansas Department of Commerce now may submit their intent to apply. The program was created to expand broadband access to rural and underserved communities across the state. Over the next 10 years, the program seeks to invest $85 million toward bridging the digital divide in Kansas, with broadband modernization funding provided through swift legislative action during the 2020 session. A maximum of $1 million per grant will go toward funding projects that provide access to high quality, reliable broadband throughout Kansas, with priority given to applications that address unserved areas, economically distressed communities, and areas of compelling need. The deadline for intent to apply has been extended to Friday, December 18, 2020, with final applications due by noon on January 7, 2021.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce
Andover latest Kansas city to remove ban on pit bulls
Andover is the latest Kansas city to repeal a ban on pit bulls after the city council voted this week to repeal a decades-old ordinance against the dog breed. City administrator Jennifer McCausland said the issue gained momentum this year after the city annexed land where some residents owned pit bulls. Midge Grinstead, Kansas director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she had been involved in overturning about 24 bans in Kansas in recent years. Grinsteade estimated between 80 to 90 pit bull bans still exist in the state.
Source: KSN-TV
Wellington begins city flag selection process
The city of Wellington and the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB are sponsoring a Wellington Flag Project to design a city flag that will serve as a symbol of the past, present and future of the community. From Dec. 7 through Jan. 15, 2021, the public is invited to select up to five of their favorite designs from the 29 flag designs entered. There are two ways to participate. The first is to go to the City of Wellington Facebook page under the post of the flag designs and review all 29 flags in this post.
Source: Leavenworth Times
Wichita school district’s latest COVID-19 report shows hundreds of staff in quarantine
Wichita school district staff with COVID-19 accounted for 799 of the 1,182 cases the district has reported since Aug. 8, according to Wichita Public Schools COVID-19 numbers, which were updated Friday for the first time since mid-November. School district spokesperson Susan Arensman said staff workloads affected how long it took to have the document updated. Friday’s numbers show that cases from Nov. 15 until Thursday increased from 633 to 1,182. Staff cases went from 389 to 799 in the latest report, which is roughly a 105% increase in about 3.5 weeks. It took more than two months to reach 389. The 799 staff cases are nearly 68% of the total.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Butler County museum hosting Smithsonian’s ‘Crossroads: Change in Rural America’
Smithsonian Partner Site Hosting Virtual Exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America is a statewide initiative featuring the exclusive Kansas tour of a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition made possible by Humanities Kansas. “The exhibit itself really has two parts,” said Ken Spurgeon, history consultant for the Kansas Oil Museum. “One is a physical part where you can come into the museum as the months progress and we hope we get more and more open after COVID. You be able to come into the museum and see elements from across butler county. There will be a digital element as well.”
Source: El Dorado Times
Edgerton’s Intermodal enjoys seasonal gains
This is an extremely busy time of year for Edgerton’s LPKC as most companies are dealing with “peak” season. “As you can imagine most of the online e-commerce fulfillment center we have at here see a surge in activities around the holidays,” said James Oltman, president ElevateEdgerton! “Amazon, Walmart.com and UPS are three examples of companies that hire a large amount of seasonal help to assist them with the increase in business they see through the holidays. Of course that also means there is usually increased container movement through the BNSF intermodal facility as well.” “Not only would this time of year cause increased demand from these retailers it’s even more pronounced with the effects of the COVID pandemic and more and more people doing their shopping online to avoid going out in public,” said Oltman.
Source: Gardner News
State-of-the-art, solar greenhouses feed rural America with both food and internet service
Two native Kansans are manufacturing a state-of-the-art farm facility on very little land. By building solar-powered greenhouses, the pair hope to revolutionize farming – and technology – in Kansas. In addition to growing all types of fruits and vegetables for local consumption, these solar-powered greenhouses will build up energy to power a 5G data center, bringing fast-speed internet to rural Kansas. “It’s the first of its kind,” said David Hinson, an electrical engineer and president of TSO Greenhouses. TSO is working with Kansas Freedom Farms to build these properties.
Source: Local – The Hutchinson News
Does Kansas owe businesses for mandating they close? A new lawsuit says yes.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic overturned society as we know it, shutting down the state’s economy in a virtually unprecedented way. Business owners have had to grapple with keeping the lights on, scrounging up government aid and taking precautions to keep customers and employees safe. But can those enterprises demand compensation from a state or local government for having to shut their doors? Increasingly, businesses across the country are saying yes to that question and filing legal challenges accordingly. That trend has now reached Kansas.
Source: State Government – The Topeka Capital-Journal
New traditions start in St. John
Christmas is being celebrated in St. John with new traditions to thwart the COVID-related disappointments of established Christmas celebrations, including a newly installed mail drop at the southwest corner of First and Main streets that has a direct link to Santa’s workshop. No postage is required and when a self-addressed (and hopefully stamped) envelope is included in the letter, a reply comes directly from Santa and Mrs. Claus. St. John USD 350 Junior-Senior High School principal Blake White, who is rumored to have close ties to Santa, reports Christmas is alive and well in St. John, a sentiment he said he shares with his wife, Becky.
Source: State News – Morning Sun
Rural hospitals in Kansas facing surge in coronavirus cases
Rural areas were spared the worst in the beginning of the pandemic, but that is no longer the case. Many rural hospitals in Kansas are starting to see a spike, and its putting a major strain on their health systems. It took Wilson County about seven months to reach 60 cases, now they’re seeing 60 new cases every week. Dr. Jen McKenney is one of only five doctors at the Fredonia Regional Hospital. Staff is scarce, and the right resources are too. Rural hospitals typically do not have ICU beds, which have been necessary for COVID-19 patients.
Source: KAKE – News
Presentation explores rich history of Mexican immigration to Kansas
The first of several special programs in connection with “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” at Kauffman Museum will be held Sunday, hosted virtually in line with COVID-19 protocols. Gene T. Chávez, of Shawnee, will present “Flour Power/El Poder de la Harina” via Zoom and Facebook Live at 3 p.m. Sunday. This free event is sponsored by Humanities Kansas. “Hispanic culture has influenced our way of life in so many ways,” Chávez said. “It is important to understand the contributions Hispanics have made to Kansas and to the nation.” Kauffman Museum is partnering with Humanities Kansas and the Smithsonian Institution to bring “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” to the museum through Jan. 17.
Source: Newton Kansan
With safety complaints up, Newton eyes sidewalk program
Due to COVID-19, people are staying home more — and they are going for more walks. At least that is the working theory at city hall as Newton city staff deal with an influx of sidewalk safety complaints. “We have had a plethora of sidewalk complaints come in that we did not have,” said Kelly McElroy, city manager. “They are home, they are out and walking in their neighborhood for the first time in (perhaps) many years. They are excising, and we love that piece of this.” The numbers are shocking. This year there have been 98 complaints, factoring in the 11 from Wednesday. In 2019, there were 22. In 2017 and 2018 combined, there were 25.
Source: Newton Kansan
Leavenworth celebrates completion of Thornton project
Leavenworth officials gathered Friday to celebrate the completion of a $4.89 million street project. “This project has been a long time coming to fruition,” Leavenworth Public Works Director Mike McDonald said. His remarks came during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Thornton Street improvement project. The ceremony took place at the Municipal Service Center, which is located on Thornton Street. The project resulted in the reconstruction of Thornton Street between Fifth Street and 10th Avenue. McDonald said the length of that stretch of Thornton Street is about 1.5 blocks short of a mile.
Source: Leavenworth Times