Kansas Municipal News
Thomas County site of two new wind projects
Residents, business leaders, and government officials joined ENGIE North America September 26 to mark the grand opening of the Solomon Forks Wind Project, as well as to celebrate the East Fork Wind Project scheduled to become operational in the spring of 2020.
Both projects are located in Thomas County, near the city of Colby, in northwest Kansas and together represent $650 million of investment.
ENGIE is proud to serve T-Mobile US, Inc., Target Corp., Brown-Forman, and Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty through these projects.
(Read more: Hays Post)
Reno County seeking funds to help with 43rd Street bridge
The Reno County Commission agreed to seek funds to help with the cost of repairing the 43rd Street bridge near old K-61.
The Kansas Department of Transportation announced a new cost sharing program with cities and counties across the state.
Reno County Public Works Director Dave McComb talked about the objective of this program from KDOT.
(Read more: Hutch Post)
2020 Community Grant and Marketing Grant applications are available
The Geary County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau sets aside grant funds to support community events and attractions that exhibit positive tourism potential for the county. The money is available via 2020 Community Support Grant and 2020 Marketing Grants. Applications are now available.
The funds are dedicated to assist qualified organizations with their activities that directly increase transient guest tax and sales tax throughout the year, and which help make Junction City and Geary County a tourism destination.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
County Office Building parking lot receiving an upgrade
The heavily utilized public parking lot that serves the Geary County Office Building and law enforcement agencies in the vicinity is receiving a mill and overlay upgrade.
Geary County is funding the project.
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Wichita to spend $350,000 to fix more problems at the water treatment plant
The Wichita City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to shell out more money to keep its aging water treatment system up and running. This after the state decided a manual override of the water disinfectant system was not acceptable as a permanent fix.
At the Wichita Water Treatment plant they say the equipment that checks to make sure disinfected water is clean doesn’t work on the automatic setting anymore. So, with the help of the state they devised a manual override, a temporary one.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Landfill building a total loss after oily rags spontaneously combust
An early-morning fire at the Ellis County landfill Friday has left the small service shop where the flames broke out a total loss, according to Public Works Director Bill Ring.
The insurance company called Ring on Tuesday morning and told him the 30-by-50 structure has been declared totaled.
“I have no paperwork yet, I just got the phone call,” Ring said. “It’s more damage than we expected.”
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)
Fairway Stroud’s location on Shawnee Mission Parkway closes after a decade in business
Fried chicken lovers have one less spot to fill up in northeast Johnson County.
Stroud’s shuttered its location on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Fairway on Monday, bringing and end to a more-than-10-year run for the eatery.
A message posted on the restaurant’s door says that the location has closed “to make way for new development.” Information released by KC Hopps, Ltd., the majority owner of the restaurant, indicated that the company had signed a short-term lease for the property, but that “the current state of the building, space and parking lot are simply not to Stroud’s standards.”
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Merriam names new directors of public works, finance departments
Merriam has named two new directors over the city’s public works and finance departments.
The city has promoted Public Works Superintendent Jim MacDonald to the position of public works director. He has served as interim director since April, after Kevin Bruemmer resigned.
The city also appointed Donna Oliver as the new finance director. Oliver replaces Cindy Ehart, who retired in September.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
McPherson City Commission OKs new chief, assistant chief
On Monday, the McPherson City Commission made official the city’s chief of police and assistant chief of police.
According to information from the McPherson KS Police Department Facebook page, the commission “approved Mayor Thomas Brown’s appointment of Mikel Golden as the Chief of Police and Todd Martens as the Assitant Chief of Police of the McPherson Police Department.”
Golden and Martens had been serving as interims in those positions since Robert McClarty retired as chief at the end of June.
(Read more: The Salina Post)
Johnson County Government has hired its first housing resource recruiter
Johnson County Government has hired its first housing resource recruiter, who is working with existing and new landlords to generate more affordable housing for people who have qualified for the federal rent subsidy program commonly known as Section 8.
Pam Harris works for Johnson County Housing Services. Eventually, the county said, the position is expected to evolve into working with developers as well to create affordable places for people to live.
“There are two primary risks landlords face: payment and damage,” Harris said in a news release. “Participation in the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program significantly reduces both. We strive to make the landlord’s experience simple and profitable.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
New Bike Registration Program
The Pittsburg Police Department is announcing the release of a new bike registration program. Beginning Tuesday, October 1, 2019 members of the community can bring their bicycle to the Law Enforcement Center to have their bike’s information recorded into our system, including serial numbers and photos. The bike will be issued an official Pittsburg Police Department label with an identification number correlating to our records, in case the bike is ever lost or stolen. This program will allow our officers to identify stolen bikes and return them to their rightful owner quicker than before.
(Read more: City of Pittsburg)
A Small Kansas Town Bought A Tesla To Convince You To Use More Electricity
The city-owned utility here wants to sell more electricity to the 3,500 people in town.
So it bought a $40,000 Tesla Model 3 sedan. It wants to show that getting around in an electric car can make sense.
“We’re trying to sell more electricity in the face of LED bulbs and some of those things, which are great innovations,” Lindsborg Assistant City Administrator Lucas Neece said. “Electric cars are an opportunity to sell more electricity.”
(Read more: RSS Feed)
Pittsburg city commission discusses rental scooters
At various events in recent weeks the City of Pittsburg has been offering test rides on electric scooters that may soon become available to rent from the company VeoRide for short trips around town. At Tuesday’s city commission meeting, commissioners and city staff discussed some of the pros and cons of approving an ordinance to regulate use of the scooters.
“If a pedestrian or someone else is injured by the rider of this, does the person injured have the right to sue this company, the individual driving it, the City of Pittsburg?” asked Mayor Patrick O’Bryan.
Deputy City Manager Jay Byers said any lawyer will tell you that anyone can sue anyone else for anything.
(Read more: News – Kiowa County Signal – Kiowa County, KS)
New center to offer students help with public speaking
If you’ve been to college, you know all about speeches — particularly if you were a communication student.
There are now tutoring and mentoring services available for Pittsburg State University students who are preparing to present speeches. The Communication Center was created through a partnership between the Pittsburg State University Department of Communication, PSU Student Success Programs and the Axe Library. The center is located in Axe Library Room 026 and its grand opening was on Monday.
“In the last year or so, Dr. (Shirley) Drew really put it on the front burner of what she hoped to get done,” Department of Communication Chair Cynthia Allan said. “It’s very exciting that you’ve been able to bring this to fruition and I think this is going to create a tremendous amount of aid to our students.”
(Read more: Community – Morning Sun)
How A Rural Hospital In Kansas Survived Multiple Owners And Bankruptcy
Sitting at the edge of the gently undulating landscape of the Flint Hills in east-central Kansas, the town of Hillsboro boasts a small hospital that has survived a remarkable roller coaster ride even as other rural hospitals stagger and fail.
Nine months ago, everything seemed to be coming apart at the 15-bed facility, Hillsboro Community Hospital, which traces its roots back more than a century.
“In the period from November 2018 through about the 10th of January of 2019, the hospital was essentially in abandoned condition,” says Brent King, who was appointed bankruptcy trustee after the hospital filed for Chapter 11 protection in March. “No bills were being paid, employees’ wages were often not being paid.”
(Read more: High Plains Public Radio)
Series of 11 earthquakes in 24 hours shake Jewell County in northern Kansas
Geologists recorded 11 earthquakes in about 24 hours in the same northern Kansas county over the weekend.
Kansas Geological Survey data shows the cluster of quakes struck north and east of Randall in Jewell County on Saturday and Sunday. Four of the 11 earthquakes had a magnitude of at least 3.0.
The first tremors came with a 3.3 magnitude quake at around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, and the ground last shook with a 2.5 magnitude quake at around 6:46 p.m. Sunday. Nine other earthquakes struck Sunday morning, with the strongest quake a 3.5 magnitude at around 3:53 a.m.
(Read more: Local News |)
Higher bond yields? At least five years away, strategists say
A return to significantly higher yields will take longer than previously thought, according to a Reuters poll of fixed-income strategists who slashed their year-ahead major government bond yield forecasts to the lowest since polling began 17 years ago.
With no resolution in sight to the U.S.-China trade war, the current modest global economic expansion cycle has taken a hit, prompting major central banks to shift to policy easing this year from a tightening view at the turn of last year.
That has not only pushed benchmark sovereign bonds yields to new lows this year, but has also resulted in over $17 trillion – a record amount – of debt securities pushed into the negative yields territory.
And according to the Sept. 19-27 poll of over 100 strategists, that trend of subdued yields is here to stay.
Read more: Reuters.
Local firefighters honor those who have died in the line of duty
Sunday afternoon in Wichita, firefighters from all over Kansas gathered to honor and remember those firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
This was all part of the 18th “Kansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial” that took place at the Kansas Firefighter Museum.
Names of men and women who have died since the 1800’s have been added to a wall. The most recent name added was of a firefighter from Wamego who died in the line of duty. His name is now the 125th name added to the wall.
(Read more: KWCH News)
Despite concerns, fireballs were expected at Andover fireworks show, fire chief says
Andover firefighters said what were described as fireballs during a fireworks show Saturday night performed as expected, despite public concerns of something more harmful.
“Please be assured that nothing unplanned happened and there were no injuries,” Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said in a statement Sunday morning. “The ‘fireballs’ that have been described were very dramatic, but completely planned. They did exactly what they were expected to do.”
The fireballs led to concerns from some people that something dangerous may have happened at the Greater Andover Days fireworks show. Russell said that at around the same time the fireworks show ended, Andover Fire-Rescue and Butler County EMS were called to an unrelated fire and left Central Park with lights and sirens activated.
(Read more: Local News |)
Donation will build new senior housing in Hutchinson
For several years, Hutchinson residents Gene and Kay Schmidt had been tossing around what they could do with some of their retirement savings to help the city’s south side.
The area has seen much of its housing deteriorate or disappear over the years, with little new development.
They also wanted to do something, said Gene, former Hutchinson Hospital CEO, that they could physically see happen, yet that might somehow continue to “re-gift” over the years.
After discussions with Interfaith Housing and Community Services staff over the past year, foundations of that something are being laid — literally.
Ground was ceremonially broken Friday at the corner of Avenue G and Plum Street for Southern Pines Townhomes, a planned new housing development owned by Interfaith that eventually will include four two-bedroom duplexes leased to senior citizens.
Construction on the first unit, which will front Plum Street, has already started.
Besides new housing in the south that serves seniors, the project will continue to give back in that a portion of rents collected will be reinvested back into the Lincoln Neighborhood for housing rehabilitation or other neighborhood needs, said IHCS President and CEO Lorna Moore.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)