Municipal News & Jobs

Starting this school year, all Topeka USD 501 schools will adopt a “cell phone-free instructional day” policy. This change follows recommendations from the state board of education. The district posted the new policy on its website earlier this month. According to the new policy, Topeka high school students are to keep their phones off and away from first bell to last to support a focused learning environment. This includes all personal electronic communication devices including smart phones, smart watches, tablets, personal computers, earbuds, and other devices.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

City commissioners want to see the next city manager focused on managing city growth, tax relief for residents and community engagement. Commissioners and the mayor outlined to The Eudora Times what they are looking for as another manager search begins this fall. This story comes after we recently asked residents what they would like to see in a manager. Read that story here.
Read more: The Eudora Times

Downtown workers encounter more roadblocks than almost anyone seeking to park in the area. Now, the City of Lawrence is considering proposals to increase the cost of finding a spot around Mass Street. The city’s parking department has recently started booting cars for unpaid citations. Proposals to increase rates for all paid downtown spots and to extend hours of enforcement on weekday evenings are also on the table.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

Phase one of the $222 million, 350,000-square-foot biomedical campus began in May of last year and is expected to be fully operational by the summer of 2027. The project will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, the health care program at WSU Tech and the Wichita campuses of the KU School of Medicine and the KU School of Pharmacy. The campus aims to strengthen collaboration and professional health care learning.  
Read more: The Sunflower

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed a court hacking that took place on Wednesday morning. The message of the content was graphic and sent a racist message that was enough to stir fear into the community. During District Magistrate Judge Phyllis Webster’s court hearing on Wednesday, an unexpected and unsolicited photo appeared on the screen, shocking those in attendance. The content displayed is not fit for print or publication.
Read more: Butler County Times-Gazette

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.

Two hundred years ago, on August 10, 1825, a significant meeting took place near the banks of the Neosho River—one that would permanently shape the identity of a small settlement on the Santa Fe Trail. That day, representatives of the U.S. government and the Osage Nation met beneath a grove of hardwood trees to sign a treaty granting safe passage for traders and travelers venturing west along the Santa Fe Trail. The site of that meeting was given a name that has endured through the centuries: Council Grove.
Read more: www.emporiagazette.com – RSS Results in news,government/*

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.

Anything in the street goes into storm drains — Lawrence has over 400 miles of stormwater pipes — then flows, untreated, directly into streams, reservoirs and the Kansas River.
Read more: LJWorld.com

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.

Wichita city leaders are trying to decide how the city will save water once Stage 2 drought restrictions end. Once those restrictions end, Wichita could move to allow outdoor watering every other day.
Read more: KWCH

A City of Scott City employee died in a workplace accident on July 18. He was found dead by another employee at the city’s water tower, according to the city’s Mayor, Everett Green.
Read more: KWCH

K.S.A. 12-5252(a) exempts cities in counties subject to the FEMA-1711-DR or FEMA-1699 disaster declarations and those counties from certain statutory requirements for the establishment of a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District, including the requirement of holding a public hearing on the proposal, but this exemption only applied prior to July 1, 2013. The provisions of K.S.A. 12-5246(c), which authorize other taxing entities to nullify or void a city or county’s establishment of a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District, apply even when the city or county is not required to hold a public hearing. This action must be taken with 30 days of the adoption of the ordinance or resolution establishing the district. Cited herein: K.S.A. 12-5245; 12-5246; 12-5252.
Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Visit Hutch announced on Sunday that they have been selected by the National Horseshoe Pitching Association (NHPA) to host the 2026 World Doubles Championship. It will take place from Oct. 9-11, 2026, at the horseshoe pitching mounds in Rice Park and hosted in conjunction with the Rice Park Ringers Horseshoe Club.
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.

In conjunction with the local Lions Club and City Council, Miltonvale volunteers put up a shade canopy for the city pool. Together, the entities designed, built, and installed the canopy, which is now located on the pool’s sun deck.
Read more: KCLY Radio

A Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Saturday afternoon while responding to a call involving a reported threat with a firearm. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the shooting occurred around 3:45 p.m. at a home in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. A woman had contacted police earlier, requesting assistance while moving out of the residence, citing concerns for her safety. She told authorities a man inside the house had threatened her friends with a gun. Deputy Elijah Ming, 34, and an officer with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department responded to the scene. As they approached the front door, a man inside the home opened fire. Deputy Ming was struck multiple times. The KCKPD officer was not injured.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sheriff’s deputies in Kansas made an unexpected traffic stop on Friday when they pulled over a vehicle carrying none other than 1980s pop-rock icon John Waite and his band. Sergeant Justin Rugg conducted the stop as the group was headed to Dodge City, Kansas, for a performance at United Wireless Arena. A longtime fan, Rugg couldn’t hide his excitement. The Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office shared the encounter in a lighthearted social media post, calling Waite a “cool guy” and thanking him for taking a photo with the sergeant.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

We now know the name of the man who died after a trench collapsed in the city Thursday. The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD) says 54-year-old Francisco Rodriguez, a resident of the city, died that day. The collapse happened at 16th Street and Metropolitan Avenue near the train tracks and the Kansas River.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

A local family is getting ready to embark on a new adventure in Burlingame with the opening of an ice cream parlor in an old bank. Robin Ridgeway is getting ready for the big day when Sweet Savings Bank Ice Cream Parlor opens its doors to the community. Ridgeway and her husband, Brett, along with her daughter Samantha Garrison and son-in-law David Garrison, will open the shop for business at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 31 at 102 West Santa Fe in Burlingame.
Read more: KSNT 27 News