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Kansas Municipal News

Kansas college students can learn to fix tractors for free

Students in Kansas can learn how to fix tractors free of charge at two community colleges through a tech program partnership with the manufacturing giant John Deere.

The Hutchinson News reports that students can enroll in the free-tuition agricultural tech program at Garden City and Fort Scott community colleges as long as they find a John Deere dealership to sponsor them. Ryan Unruh, corporate service manager at BTI, says the starting salary for a technician job is $50,000 to $60,000 annually, with higher rates for the experience.

Kent Aikin, a John Deere instructor at FSCC, says Kansas is in high demand for the field.

Wichita firefighters rescue person trapped in trash truck

Wichita firefighters rescued a man from a garbage truck early Friday morning. People have been injured in Wichita dumpsters before, including in February 2013. KAKE News tries to answer the question: Why would someone choose to sleep inside a dumpster instead of in a shelter?

“Where the dumpsters are, there, the one that faces our house, I’ve seen them go in there before,” said Wichita resident Manuel Acosta. “Sometimes two at a time.”

Acosta lives near Central and West street, and he says people sleeping inside dumpsters there is nothing new. But, around 4:30 Friday morning, a man sleeping inside one of those dumpsters got a rough awakening. A Waste Management truck picked up the dumpster, pouring the man into the back of the truck. The 911 audio describes the event:

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Garden City documentary is people’s choice

Filmmakers Steve Lerner and Reuben Aaronson didn’t create “Strangers In Town,” a documentary about Garden City, for film festivals.

Instead, they created it to get the message out about a small Kansas town that has accepted those that have traveled from around the world to live there.

While the film wasn’t made for a festival, that hasn’t stopped it from picking up two people’s choice awards.

The most recent award was handed out Jan. 20 at the Borrego Springs Film Festival. Additionally, the film received an audience favorite award in 2019 at the Film Festival at Brown’s Point.

“We made the film really to get this message out, and we screened it all over the country, but both of these film festivals that gave us awards. They were the award given by the vote of the viewers at the festival and that means a lot to me because that means the message of the film is resonating with people,” said Lerner, the film’s director of photography. “These weren’t awards made by film critics.”

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

As PV considers repeal on pit bull ban, a look at Shawnee Mission cities’ current dangerous dog ordinances

Next week, the Prairie Village city council is expected to decide whether to repeal its pit bull ban. Prairie Village is one of a shrinking number of Shawnee Mission area cities that have such “breed specific language” on their books.
As Prairie Village prepares to consider changes to the “breed specific language” currently on its books, here’s a look at what other Johnson County cities’ laws have to say about dangerous animals and specific breeds of dogs…
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Shawnee Mission school board adopts 3-year unilateral teachers contract

On a 6-1 vote following four hours of closed-door deliberations, the Shawnee Mission Board of Education approved a three-year unilateral contract for teachers, a move strongly opposed by their union …
Teachers and their supporters packed the board room at the Center of Academic Achievement ahead of the specially called meeting, which followed the district walking away from negotiations at the final possible session in the state-mandated process for teacher contracts on Tuesday.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

KDOT awards Parsons Airport $225K

The Tri-City Airport will get another $225,000 worth of improvements following the approval of a grant.
The Kansas Airport Improvement Program announced the grant for the airport owned by the city of Parsons on Wednesday. The Parsons project is one of 23 selected by the program for funding for the purpose of planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Municipal Bond Trends for January 30, 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 Advisors.

Record day for municipal bond yields

It was a record day in the market in a couple of different ways, as yields descended further to new record lows on both the10- and 30-year and the market saw the lowest yield ever for a century bond.
…
On the MMD benchmark scale, the yield on both the 10- and 30-year were three basis points lower to l.15% and 1.80%, respectively. With this move, both maturities set a new record low. The 1O-year muni read hit an all-time low of 1.18% on Monday, beating the previous MMD record low of 1.21 % set on Aug. 28, 2019. The 30-year on Monday tied its previous low of l.83% also set on Aug. 28 last year.

(Read more: Bond Buyer)

Highway 54 reopens in Pratt and Kiowa counties after gas leak

The Kansas Department of Transportation says Highway 54 is open to traffic again between Pratt and Greensburg.

The highway had been closed since January 26th, when a butane gas leak was reported in a pipeline east of Cullison. Traffic was directed away from the area as a precaution.

The highway was reopened Thursday afternoon, and the pipeline company is now working on cleanup operations at the site of the leak.

(Read more: KFDI 101.3)

KCC opens investigation dockets in Reno, Rooks county earthquakes

Following an update on seismicity investigations in two areas of the state, the Commission voted unanimously this morning to open general investigation dockets for both Reno County and Rooks County. The dockets will provide a publicly available place to share all information gathered by KCC staff. The dockets also provide a vehicle for the Commission to issue orders if appropriate.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)

Hillsboro City Administrator Larry Paine announces retirement

Larry Paine, Hillsboro City Administrator had big news to share at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

“I wanted to announce my plans to retire at the end of June 2020,” said Paine during his Administrator’s report.

“I would like to express my appreciation to Delores Dalke and the city council who offered the position to me 12 years ago. I received great support with the work they wanted me to attend to,” said Paine.

He also thanked Mayor Lou Thurston and the current council for all of their support, particularly with his medical needs early in their term when he battled cancer.

“Before the election, I promised Mayor Lou two years. With this schedule, I will live up to my commitment. The staff I inherited have been wonderful to work with. We needed to overcome the fear of acting independently. They now act as department heads should. They have received the support to bring their departments to the level they should be. The community has been wonderful to (wife) Susan and me. As an outsider, we have been welcomed and included. Many have expressed support for the work we have started and accomplished. I have to conclude this list with the support I received from Susan my whole career.”

(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)

Unable to reach a contract agreement, Shawnee Mission teachers warn of ‘mass exodus’

Union representatives in the Shawnee Mission school district warned there could be a “mass exodus” of teachers now that the two sides have failed to agree on a new contract for this school year — despite negotiating since last spring.

“Special education (teachers) could walk out today. There are openings in districts 10 miles from here in special ed. Young teachers can go to other districts and make more money,” said Linda Sieck, president of the National Education Association-Shawnee Mission. “Secondary teachers might be willing to take a pay decrease to know that their district is interested in working with teachers.”

School district administration and union officials met for five hours on Tuesday to take one last stab at reaching a contract agreement. The unsuccessful final session followed months of negotiations and a state-mandated fact-finding process.

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing announce new 737 Max production agreement

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. announced Thursday that it has reached a new 737 Max production rate agreement with The Boeing Co.

The company says Spirit (NYSE:SPR) will restart production slowly, ramping up deliveries throughout the year to reach 216 for 2020. The company did not give a specific restart date.

The company says in a release that it does not expect to reach the production rate of 52 a year until at least 2022.

There is a caveat: the rate agreement is based on expectations for Boeing’s (NYSE:BA) production rate and the return to service for the aircraft. And they warn that, depending on conditions, the agreement could change.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

STAR bonds proposal would give incentives to hospitals, headquarters projects

If Kansas’ STAR bond program is extended, hospitals and headquarters projects could start qualifying for the incentives.STAR, which stands for Sales Tax Revenue bonds, is an economic development tool that’s used to finance the development of major commercial, entertainment and tourism areas. It’s currently reserved for projects considered to be a statewide and regional destination. They also must feature a high-quality innovative entertainment and tourism attraction with unique features to bolster tourism and economic impact, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Kansas City, MO Council passes ‘game-changer’ legislation in border war truce

Another piece of legislation designed to end Kansas and Missouri’s longstanding economic development “border war” sailed through the Kansas City Council on Thursday.

The ordinance, which Mayor Quinton Lucas first introduced in September, limits Kansas City’s power to entice companies across the border with generous tax abatements.

For years, Kansas and Missouri spent considerable taxpayer resources to lure companies — and coveted jobs — from each other. Companies pocketed, at times, hefty state incentives to move their operations a few miles across the state line. The two states agreed to halt the widely criticized practice last year.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Baxter Springs City Court cancels temporarily due to flu epidemic

In a Facebook post by the Baxter Springs Police Department Thursday, it was announced that the Baxter Springs City Court would be cancelled Friday, January 31st due to the flu epidemic.

In order to minimize the spread of the flu that has been affecting the Four State area, the Court issued a statement that they would close Friday and notify those with court dates of their new scheduled time.

They ask that you notify the Judicial Assistant next week if your address is not current at, 620-856-3825.

Johnson County chair Ed Eilert named Outstanding Kansas Citian of the Year

Ed Eilert, chair of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, has been named one of two recipients of the Outstanding Kansas Citian of the Year award.

The other award recipient is former Gen. Richard Myers, a retired general in the United States Air Force who served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers, who now serves as president of Kansas State University in Manhattan, was born and raised in the Shawnee Mission area and is a 1960 graduate of Shawnee Mission North.

Established in 1973 by historical society The Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City, the award is designed to recognize individuals who have contributed to the well being and/or historic preservation of the greater Kansas City metro area, through their professional work, civic engagement or volunteerism, or who have simply become part of Kansas City’s history.

Lawsuit: Kansas Highway Patrol targets out-of-state drivers

Ninety-three percent of the Kansas Highway Patrol’s traffic stops in 2017 involved cars with out-of-state plates, according to a lawsuit challenging the practice as an infringement on motorists’ constitutional rights.

In an amended lawsuit filed Thursday on behalf of three plaintiffs, including two Oklahoma brothers who initially filed the complaint, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and a Kansas City, Missouri, law firm contend that the traffic stop statistics show that the Kansas Highway Patrol specifically targets out-of-state drivers, including many on the main highway connecting Kansas with neighboring Colorado, because that state’s legalized marijuana.

The case began as a hand-scrawled complaint filed last December by the two irate brothers, but it got significant legal backing when the ACLU and the law firm, Spencer Fane LLP, joined their cause.
(Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)

City of Manhattan looking to demolish flood damaged strip mall

The city of Manhattan is looking to demolish a building that was damaged by flooding. The strip mall located at 3003 Anderson Avenue had water close to the ceiling during the Labor Day flood in 2018.

The Manhattan City Commission decided in September 2019 that the building was unsafe and gave the owners until December 2019 to clean it up. Ryan Courtright, Assistant Chief of Risk Reduction with Manhattan Fire Department, said there was damage from the flood and things left over from the previous tenants.

“We actually had a couple of restaurants that were in the building that food product ended up basically being dispersed through out the building and creating an unsanitary condition,” Courtright said.

Courtright said the city will take bids for the demolition starting in mid February, and the city commission will most likely accept a bid at the beginning of March. The company will then have 30 days to start demolition and seven days to finish the demolition.

(Read more: KSNT News)

Wind farm leases filed at county

As a Labette County committee studying wind energy continues its work, the first four wind farm lease and easement agreements have been filed.

Four of five committee members — Sandy Krider, Kevin King, Mel Hass and Rod Landrum — and facilitator Charlie Morse met Tuesday evening in the Labette County Public Works building in Altamont. Committee member Lori Whitworth wasn’t able to attend. Eleven members of the public attended and discussed various issues with the committee.

The Labette County Commission formed the committee to look into wind farm regulations after a German utility expressed interest in developing a wind farm in Labette County.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)