Kansas Municipal News
Spirit AeroSystems plans massive furloughs, shortened work weeks
Thousands of Spirit AeroSystems employees in Wichita are being furloughed without pay for three weeks, according to a company email obtained by The Wichita Eagle.
Managers and hourly employees at Spirit, Wichita’s largest employer, who are directly associated with production work on a Boeing commercial program — the bulk of the company’s operations — will be placed on 21-day unpaid leave starting Wednesday.
The temporary layoffs apply to Spirit employees on the Boeing lines in Wichita and San Antonio.
(Read more: Local News |)
Riverfront Stadium might not see baseball in 2020. What’s the economic impact of that?
Tickets for the first Wind Surge game at Riverfront Stadium sold out in 44 minutes.
But the new, $75 million stadium is likely to sit empty for most of its inaugural season as the coronavirus pandemic shutters virtually all large gatherings in the country until further notice.
The longer the stadium sits empty, the more likely the city is to miss its projections on the ballpark.
The Wind Surge, the Miami Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate that relocated from New Orleans, was scheduled to start play at Riverfront Stadium on April 14 and start paying the city a management fee the next day.
(Read more: Local News |)
Allen County Sheriff’s Office conducts porch pick-ups for drug disposal
With more spare time on your hands, now may be a good time to clean out your medicine cabinet.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Office is doing porch pick-ups for drug disposal.
In the first three months of 2020, Allen County deputies say they have helped dispose of 51 pounds of medication.
It’s quick and easy and you can remain anonymous.
You can either drop your items off by placing them in a secure box in the Allen County Sheriff’s Office lobby, or you can give them a call and a deputy will personally pick up the items from your porch.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)
Sedg. Co. Zoo implements changes after NYC tiger tests positive for COVID-19
The Sedgwick County Zoo is making changes after a Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19. That tiger is believed to have contracted the disease from an asymptomatic keeper.
The zoo says this is the first time there is evidence of COVID-19 being transmitted from humans to animals.
Out of an abundance of caution, SCZ says it had already implemented additional protective measures for keepers in great ape areas, due to their close relation to humans. The zoo says there are no indications of a great ape contracting the disease at all.
In light of the COVID-19 case at the Bronx Zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo is implementing the same precautionary measures in areas with big cats as well.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Lenexa Farmers Market delays opening due to COVID-19 pandemic
Lenexa city staff has postponed the Lenexa Farmers Market’s outdoor season, originally set to open Saturday, April 25.
“Providing access to fresh, local food is very important to this community,” staff wrote in its announcement March 31. “But our top priority right now is to ensure the safety and health of our vendors, shoppers and staff as we deal with COVID-19.”
Lenexa is discouraging formal public gatherings whenever possible, and is continuing to monitor the situation with the intent of opening the outdoor market when it is safe to do so.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
Reno County health department receives dozens of COVID-19 self-reporting responses
Since Reno County rolled out its COVID-19 self-reporting form late Sunday night on the health department and Emergency Management websites and Facebook pages, they’ve received more than 50 responses.
Of those, said Health Department Director Nick Baldetti, about 30 included contact information that will allow health department staff to seek additional information on those cases and try to determine if they are indeed likely COVID-19 cases.
“We plan to continue to push it (the form) out on social media,” Baldetti said. “The form asks, if you previously showed symptoms of COVID-19 or are beginning to have symptoms but haven’t been tested, you can fill out the report. It’s confidential and voluntary.”
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Johnson County gets first shipment of COVID-19 kits. Here’s who’s eligible for a test
Johnson County is receiving its first shipment of new coronavirus test kits this week — as the county begins to roll out a $400,000 program aimed at better collecting data on the outbreak.
Sanmi Areola, public health director, said the goal is to test about 4,000 randomly selected residents — with or without symptoms — to analyze how the virus is spreading throughout the community. But with a shortage of test kits, and only 700 swabs available in the first shipment, Areola said the county will test only high-risk residents, for now.
The kits — including 500 from Quest Diagnostics and 200 from the state health department — will be used to test health care workers, grocery store employees, first responders and nursing home residents, he said.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Wichita farmers market deemed ‘essential business,’ opens Saturday with extra precautions
Farmers market season has arrived in Wichita, and one of the city’s two popular annual markets is set to open on Saturday.
But making the call about whether to go ahead with opening day in in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t easy, said Tricia Holmes, the president of the Kansas Grown Farmers Market Board, and the market will be taking extra measures to try to keep people safe.
(Read more: Local News |)
Officials reflect on Shawnee County’s coronavirus response, discuss what future may hold
Life and the way we respond to national and local emergencies will be different after the coronavirus pandemic passes — at least Shawnee County officials hope so.
In a virtual meeting Tuesday morning, Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino, Shawnee County Health Department director Linda Ochs, and Shawnee County emergency management director Dusty Nichols reflected on the county’s coronavirus response thus far and shared their hopes for the future.
“I think we were, for a while, not sure where we were going, but it became really clear what we needed to do,” Nichols said.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Gov. Laura Kelly extends crowd limits to churches, funerals
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday she was imposing crowd limits on religious gatherings in advance of Easter Sunday, forcing churches to keep attendance below 10 to help avoid the dangerous risk of spreading COVID-19 among worshippers.
The new executive order, effective Wednesday, also applies to funerals. A previous order banning public gatherings of more than 10 individuals had exempted religious gatherings and funerals.
Taking action during Holy Week, the governor said, “brings me the greatest sadness” of all of the unprecedented executive orders she has signed in response to COVID-19.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
After many complaints and COVID-19 concerns, Overland Park postpones farmers market
After receiving several complaints from residents concerned about further spread of the novel coronavirus, the city of Overland Park announced Tuesday it will postpone its farmers market.
The city was planning to open the market for the season on Saturday, even as other Johnson County cities decided to postpone their own markets. Like grocery stores, farmers markets are considered essential operations under the metrowide stay at home order.
“Despite the efforts we’ve gone through with the safety and health protocols, we still heard from people who were concerned about the health of the public and vendors,” said city spokesman Sean Reilly. “So we heard them, listened to them and decided we would go ahead and close it.”
(Read more: KC Star Local News)
Confusion reigns on the Fed and long-term muni purchases
Municipal market participants are confused, to say the least, about the Federal Reserve and its ability to buy long-term municipal securities. And there’s a good reason for the puzzlement.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes the Fed to purchase munis through a $454 billion Economic Stabilization Fund, and $150 billion is earmarked for direct federal aid to states and municipalities.
But, the language in the CARES Act is subject to interpretation, and can be misleading.
…
Steven Skancke, chief economic advisor at Keel Point, isn’t convinced the law allows the Fed to buy longer-term munis.
The Fed, he said, believes “its mandate is limited to assuring liquidity on all debt markets.” And if the Fed thought the municipal bond market needed to be propped up, “it probably could find a way,” but for now the market seems to be functioning well.
Congress would need to be more “explicit” in authorizing the Fed to step into buying or supporting longer-dated munis beyond six-month maturities.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal bond rates fall again on Fed hopes, potential coronavirus plateau
The municipal market again saw yields fall across the curve, dropping as much as eight basis points on the short end Monday and up to 15 on the long end.
The market is anticipating the Federal Reserve to step in as a buyer of last resort for munis, though how much, which credits, and what durations are still cloudy.
The Fed has already begun to buy variable rate demand obligations and has helped the short end of the market recover after massive mid-March losses of at least 2%.
“The overall dynamic of the market has been helped by the opening of the Federal Reserve’s Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility, which opened on March 23 and as of Wednesday, April 1, had lent out $52.67 billion,” said Patrick Luby, senior municipal strategist at CreditSights.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Municipal Bond Trends for April 6, 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.
Reno County releases ’self-reporting’ form for residents who suspect COVID-19
With its second case of suspected community transmission of the COVID-19 virus in Reno County, yet no expected immediate increase in ability to locally test people, the Reno County Health Department has released a new form asking people to self- report if they believe they may have the disease.
“Community transmission” means the individual contracted the disease from an unknown source while out in the community, indicating it is more widespread than test-confirmed cases might indicate, which health officials have long suspected.
All the other cases in the county before those two were related to travel to places that had outbreaks or to known direct contact with someone else who was a confirmed case.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Siemens Gamesa to furlough 200 in Hutchinson
Siemens Gamesa confirmed Monday that employees at both its Hutchinson and Ford Madison, Iowa, plants will be furloughed for three or four weeks.
The company cited issues with its international supply chain.
Employees were informed Monday, according to a statement from the company, though it didn’t indicate when the furloughs would begin.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Playing by the rules: Self-monitoring, strict guidelines keep golf courses open
Golf has long had the moniker of being a “Gentleman’s Game.”
The terminology more than likely began in reference to the gender of those playing the sport. But over the years, it’s come to define the etiquette and self-policing — or self-monitoring — that take place in a sport where there are no referees or umpires watching every move.
Now more than ever, those who play the sport know that adhering to guidelines laid out by courses nationwide allowing them to stay open for play during the COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Social distancing map rates most SW Kansas counties at a D or lower
A map released by Unacast rates how well states and counties are at social distancing. The information is gathered by tracking the GPS on phones, but for those in Southwest Kansas, this may not be the grade deserved.
In Southwest Kansas, many may be practicing social distancing but it’s also a hub for Agriculture.
“There still seems to be a lot of activity in rural America particularly in the midwest but there’s a reason because farming and ranching can not stop, especially this time of year,” said KSN Agriculture Correspondent John Jenkinson.
This map from Unacast shows how well the state is at social distancing, many counties in the Southwest, getting a D or lower.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Miss out on SBA loan program? You have other options
Not everyone is going to be able to get a relief loan from the Small Business Administration. But don’t worry, plenty of other options remain.
Dan Friederich, managing director of CBIZ MHM LLC in Kansas City, said businesses instead can take advantage of tax credits.
A biggie to pay attention to is the employee retention credit, which is available only if you don’t accept a relief loan from the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Friederich said.
(Read more: Kansas City Business Journal – The Business Journals)
Gov. Laura Kelly warns of shortage of medical supplies as FEMA fails to fulfill requests
Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday the state’s health care providers are nearing a critical shortage of personal protective equipment, and her seven requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for additional supplies have gone unanswered.
Additionally, the governor said, the state received just 90% of its allotment of PPE from the Strategic National Stockpile, which was divided among states based on figures from the 2010 U.S. census.
The state is left scrambling to secure millions of masks, gloves, gowns and other supplies at inflated prices from from private markets, Kelly said, and may not have enough to meet demand as the number of COVID-19 cases surge in Kansas as projected over the next three weeks.
(Read more: Lifestyle – The Garden City Telegram)