Kansas Municipal News
Ark City police wrap up successful Popsicle Patrol season
The Arkansas City Police Department recently wrapped up its annual Popsicle Patrol program, with a major increase in the popsicles distributed this summer.
A total of 1,749 popsicles were shared with the community, up nearly 355 percent from last year’s total of 505 popsicles, according to ACPD Capt. Eric Burr, who said the Popsicle Patrol program is a centerpiece for the department’s improved community outreach approach to policing.
ACPD identified increased positive interaction with the Arkansas City community as one of its primary goals in a strategic plan that was first rolled out in 2014.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Topekans return from Montgomery, Ala., with ‘great ideas’ after annual intercity visit
Topeka and Montgomery, Ala., might seem quite different on the surface. But the two cities have more in common than meets the eye. They are both capital cities. They have comparable costs of living and similar average household incomes. And they are both in the midst of multi-year economic development plans meant to improve quality of life. Montgomery was the site of this year’s intercity visit — an annual trip by city and county officials…
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Creekstone expansion triggers water supply concerns for Ark City
Expansion of the city’s beef processing plant is causing concern about whether Arkansas City will have enough water.
Creekstone Farms could increase its water usage by as much as 50 percent within the next six months, city officials told commissioners this week.
Commissioners discussed the growing water needs Tuesday and passed a resolution authorizing the Burns and McDonnell Engineering Company to provide services for a water evaluation …
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
Power line sale to fund local Winfield upgrades
The City of Winfield stands to benefit financially from a new partnership with independent electric transmission provider GridLiance, with money from the sale of transmission lines expected to directly fund upgrades for the city-owned electric transmission system, said Winfield City Manager Taggart Wall.
The city will receive $1.1 million up front from GridLiance for the purchase, plus another $900,000 spread out over 15 years, said Wall.
The first projects will be improvements to the Rainbow Substation west of Winfield and rebuilding an electric transmission line southeast of town, he said.
(Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)
New Neosho County clerk named
Neosho County Republicans nominated southern county resident Heather Elsworth, rural Erie, Thursday evening as the replacement for County Clerk.
A caucus of Republican precinct officers selected Elsworth on the first ballot from four applicants proposed for the County Clerk position to replace Randal Neely.
Neely, who resigned effective Thursday, would have finished his term next year. Elsworth’s nomination now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly for appointment. Kelly has up to 10 days to finalize the nomination, although the previous appointment of Gail Klaassen as County Commissioner was completed in two days.
(Read more: The Chanute Tribune)
Is Johnson County getting greener? Uber-like transit system, bike lanes flourishing
An experimental, Uber-like microtransit system in Johnson County is in such high demand, it is poised to become a permanent fixture — signaling a desire for alternative modes of transportation in the suburbs.
In his 11 years on the county board of commissioners, James Allen said he’s heard stories of residents struggling to make it around Johnson County without a set of car keys. Bus stops are often not within walking distance, and ridership on the public transportation system has been historically low, officials said.
But over the past nine months, the county and RideKC have been testing a project aimed at changing that. Johnson County is paying $500,000 to pilot the microtransit program, which allows users to summon a cheap ride in a small van via a smartphone app. At just $1.50 per ride, the program has been called a cheaper alternative to Uber or Lyft.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Finney County seeing significant retail, job growth
Finney County’s recent economic growth has been significant, says a presentation from the Finney County Economic Development Corp., highlighting an expanding retail market and rare spot of booming job growth in western Kansas.Shannon Dick, FCEDC strategic analyst, broke down the details of Garden City’s job and retail growth before the organization’s board last week, explaining what has helped the city and county stand out in the region and state.
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)
147 years of Hutch Police memorabilia on display at Reno County Museum
Today, a Hutchinson police officer may be called when a bar fight breaks out, but in the 1920s, a Hutchinson police matron dropped in at dance halls to assess whether girls were dressed appropriately.
If Police Matron Marie Baldwin deemed some girls needed more clothing, she tapped them on the shoulder and sent them home.
“I am not a granny about these things,” Baldwin was quoted in the newspaper. “But there are some things that go too far or not far enough as the case may be.”
An exhibit highlighting the history — sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic — of the Hutchinson Police Department opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Reno County Museum, 100 S. Walnut St.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Whimmydiddle continues to be a tradition for shoppers, vendors
Whimmydiddle is more than just a craft show for Shelly Peterson.
It’s become sort of a family tradition for the Burlington, Colo., resident who has been attending the huge Scott City show for about 10 years.
“It started out with my mother-in-law and myself and then my older granddaughter and myself came for three or four years together,” says Peterson.
(Read more: Scott County Record)
Little Jerusalem opening is Oct. 12
Grand opening of the Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park will take place on Sat., Oct. 12, with the gates opening at 9:00 a.m. and the opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m.
The trails will open at 11:00 a.m. The park will close at about 7:00 p.m.
Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to speak, along with Rob Manes, Kansas Director of the Nature Conservancy, and Brad Loveless, KDWPT Secretary. Area legislators and local officials have also been invited to attend.
(Read more: Scott County Record)
Returning home was always part of the plan
There was never much doubt that Clay and Emily Mulligan would return to Scott City.
“We both loved growing up in Scott City,” says the former Emily Buxton. “After living in Kansas City, we realized this is where we wanted to raise a family.”
After graduating from the University of Kansas Medical Center as a doctor of physical therapy, Clay joined the Scott County Hospital on June 1 as a codirector of the physical therapy department.
(Read more: Scott County Record)
Planning Commission could make decision on dollar type stores Tuesday
The Hutchinson Planning Commission could make a decision on whether to send amendments regulating small box or dollar-type stores on to the City Council.
More study and a possible decision could come during the commission meeting on Tuesday. The purpose is to give those who shop at the dollar-type stores better choices for food items. The amendments would call for small-box stores to dedicate 10% of their retail space to such food items.
The changes which are already in place in other cities are starting to have an effect on Dollar General stores. The largest small-box chain is beginning to add fresh food options to their stores; staff wants to ensure that the residents of the city are getting at a minimum these options form the stores.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
Gove Co. represents ‘The Aging Farmland’ in national study of rural America
In March, a reporters from the Wall Street Journal and George Washington University, along with a film/photo crew from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation visited Gove County. As part of their national study entitled “A New Portrait of Rural America,” Gove County represented “The Aging Farmland.”
This group traveled all spring throughout the United States, compiling data and stories about rural America. They presented their findings in their entirety on September 26 in Washington DC. Select community leaders from across rural America were asked to participate in a panel discussion as part of the event releasing the study.
Ericka Nicholson, Gove County economic development director, was invited and attended, expanding on the story of Gove County through a panel discussion and Q&A session following the study’s release.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Riley’s Community Center opens for business
The grand opening for Riley’s Community Center was held on Post this week. The building that was formerly Riley’s Conference Center, has undergone renovation.
Junction City Commissioner Phyllis Fitzgerald attended the grand opening. “It still can be used for a lot of the same things, meetings and events. They’ve got a nice computer room, they’ve got a family room, got a fitness room with child activity space and a recreation room.”
The hours of operation for the center will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Urban growth springing up in Newton
Downtown Newton is getting some newly renovated green space, as the Hutchinson Community College satellite campus continues work on a project to turn part of its property (at the corner of Broadway and Oak streets) into a pollinator garden.
“We needed to redo the landscaping of that front area and decided to do something with native Kansan plants,” said HCC Newton counselor Bev Wiebe. “When people use plants that are native to the area, they use less water — you need less resources that way — and they also provide habitat and food for native insects, which non-native plants don’t do.”
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
New museum exhibit honors area law enforcement
The Reno County Museum is following up on its Hutchinson Heroes theme with a new exhibit honoring the Hutchinson Police Department.
A reception was held Thursday evening to open the exhibit. It’s the second installment in a series of exhibits that honors Hutchinson’s first responders and emergency personnel. Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper says it is great the museum is taking time to honor those who serve the area.
“I think it’s a great exhibit the museum has set up,” Hooper said. “I came and enjoyed the one for the fire department. Just the fact that the local museum is honoring the heroes of our community.”
The displays take people back to the 1800s and into present day with artifacts that came from both the museum archives and officers who donated to the cause. Museum Director Mike Ables says you will find just about everything.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
USD 309 gets $25,000 grant for STEM program
Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 is receiving a $25,000 grant to expand its robotics and STEM programs to include underwater robotics.
America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education program is sponsored by the Bayer Fund. Across the country, local farmers nominated schools for a piece of the Bayer-funded grants.
Local farmers who nominated USD 309 for the grant will be invited to attend the ceremony. Brent Werth and Alan Shive, with Central Prairie Co-op, will make the check presentation during a halftime ceremony at the Nickerson High School homecoming football game Friday at Nickerson High School. The presentation is expected to occur between 7:30 and 8 p.m. on the football field.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Merriam hosting second annual Merriam Drive Live this weekend
The city of Merriam is hosting its second annual Merriam Drive Live event this weekend.
Merriam Drive Live turns the Merriam Marketplace into a “huge lawn party” with live music on two stages. The event takes place rain or shine from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 at Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive. Merriam Drive Live is free and open to the public.
“It’s just a way to bring Merriam residents and the surrounding community downtown to Merriam,” said Jenna Gant, communications and public engagement manager for Merriam. “We just really hope to bring people to Merriam, not just our residents but also outside communities, to see what Merriam is about. We have a lot of pride in our community and we just hope a lot of families come down and enjoy themselves for Merriam Drive Live.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Wichita Area, Kansas Expected to Add Jobs Next Year
An employment forecast released Thursday projects continued economic growth for both the Wichita area and Kansas next year. Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) conducts industry-level employment surveys each year to help formulate its forecasts. CEDBR Director Jeremy Hill says the Wichita area is expected to grow about 0.5% in 2020, adding about 1,600 new jobs.
The workforce expanded by 1.3% this year. He says the slow job growth pattern is a turnaround from 2017 when the region lost jobs. “We’re getting a lot of our legs back underneath us,” Hill says, “so as we go into that momentum, we also head in with a lot of this uncertainty on the global and national economy that gets a little concerning.” Hill says a national or global recession could affect Wichita’s export-oriented manufacturing industries. After a robust 3.4% growth in 2018, the production sector’s growth is expected to slow to 0.6% in 2020.
(Read more: RSS Feed)
Louisburg planning commission recommends approval of treatment facility
A businessman who would like to put a 24-hour treatment facility in Louisburg to help people with alcohol and chemical addictions has passed the first phase of the application process.
The Louisburg Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approval of a special-use permit (SUP) for the Gold Bridge Treatment Center LLC, to be located at 105 E. Amity St. (Kansas Highway 68) in the former Omnivillage building. The matter now goes to the Louisburg City Council which have final approval. The council is scheduled to consider the SUP at its Oct. 21 meeting, according to city documents.
Gold Bridge Executive Director Joseph Hammer said he would provide in-patient treatment for up to 16 clients who are dealing with issues related to alcoholism and chemical dependency. The facility also would offer some outpatient services to help individuals remain clean and sober.
(Read more: The Miami County Republic)