Kansas Municipal News
Pretty Prairie district gains students
Pretty Prairie USD 311 added students and staff this year. All-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds has made Pretty Prairie attractive for young families, said superintendent Randy Hendrickson. Friday was the day Kansas schools counted students, and Pretty Prairie school district’s number for K-12 was 287, up from 272 students a year ago. "We’re very excited," Hendrickson said. There’s a lot of growth in the elementary grades, Hendrickson said.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
Scott City adopts new policy on property tax payments
Following the county’s lead, the Scott City Council has adopted a resolution that will aid the county in the collection of back taxes.
The city is joining with the county in forcing property owners who are delinquent in their tax payments to either pay their taxes in full or face the prospect of a tax sale in the near future.
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A common practice has been to make “partial” payments. In other words, paying only for those years which will keep property out of a sale, but still being delinquent for the most recent two years.
Under the charter ordinance, payments made by an individual will apply to the most recent tax year.
The individual can’t designate that payments be made to earlier years in order to avoid a foreclosure sale.
Read more: Scott County Record.
‘There’s so much love at this theater.’ Chestnut, an Olathe gem, shines after 21 years
It took joy, creativity and a whole lot of support from family to make Chestnut Fine Arts Center the success it has become over the past 21 years.
The 102-seat performing arts center in the heart of Olathe has presented 20 seasons of musicals, musical reviews and plays to more than 16,000 audience members each season. Founder and director Brad Zimmerman believes the Chestnut’s success is the result of years of hard work and hands-on family commitment.
“After 10 years of teaching music and freelancing as a musical director in Kansas City theaters, I decided to look for a place where I could live and produce theater,” he said. “I found that place where I’ve been doing both for 20 years.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Douglas County Commission hears proposal to change county’s rules for dividing rural land
Douglas County leaders discussed a slate of proposed changes to the county’s zoning regulations on Wednesday, including a measure that would allow for more public feedback before rural land could be divided into residential lots.
Zoning Director Tonya Voigt and Planner Mary Miller presented a broad overview of the proposed regulations to the County Commission during a work session. They explained that the regulations would create several new zoning districts that would set guidelines for agricultural, industrial, business and residential land use in the county.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
Mulvane library to host Astro Family Night
The Mulvane Public Library will host a free community event called “Astro Night” in October.
The family-friendly event will feature live music from Reach for the Sky, a space presentation and telescope viewing with the Kansas Astronomical Observers, crafts, yard games and s’mores.
The space-themed night is set from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4 at the library, 408 N. 2nd. Ave., Mulvane.
(Read more: DerbyInformer.com – news,news/)
Kansas State Fair attendance up from 2018
The Kansas State Fair announced that they saw an increase in attendance for this year’s event from last year. Officials say the great weather, along with new programming helped boost Kansas State Fair attendance by about 3 percent in 2019. according to a media release.
More than 337,400 people came to the state’s largest gathering, which ended Sunday. Those figures don’t include visitors who came in free before 11 a.m. on the Fair’s kickoff day — Friday, Sept. 6. Fair officials estimate another 6,000 to 10,000 people strolled through the gates on that first morning. About 328,000 people attended the 2018 Kansas State Fair.
“This year’s Fair took an already wonderful Kansas event to new heights, bringing residents from all across the state together to celebrate everything that makes Kansas so special,” General Manager Robin Jennison said. “We had beautiful weather, and we also made some positive improvements.”
(Read more: Great Bend Post)
Ambulance service covers all of the county
Junction City provides ambulance service including EMT’s and paramedics for all of Geary County. Junction City Fire Chief Terry Johnson said they average about 3,000 calls per year for EMS so they reach about 10% of the community every year. “We run two ambulances fully staffed and one is semi-staffed. We have an aerial truck that we have to staff as well. That crew can either operate the aerial.”
They also provide transfer of patients from Geary Community Hospital to hospitals in other cities across Kansas. There are approximately 400 to 500 transfers per year. “The care that a patient can get can range from jut basic life-support care to a full life-support care depending on what their needs are.”
(Read more: Junction City Post)
Wichita baseball stadium a month away from installing grass
Every day gets Wichita a step closer to professional baseball returning to the city. With the home schedule released Wednesday, the new stadium continues to make progress towards completion.
A team of 200 construction workers busy playing the sport they know to get the stadium ready for opening day.
“The noisier it gets, the busier it gets the happier we are,” said Lou Schwechheimer, managing general partner and owner of Wichita Baseball 2020.
All the heavy lifting is done Schwechheimer says and now it’s a race to bring all the pieces together to make the stadium ready for opening day on April 14.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Community spirit brings big benefits to tiny town
Getting to a doctor or even buying groceries can be tough in rural Kansas, especially if you’re elderly.
But this tiny town of 800 has made it handy, with almost everything you need in one spot.
Just past Minneola’s friendly sign, you won’t see a mall or even a traffic light, but something more important.
“It’s a grocery store, but it’s much more than that,” said Trish Jaeger, mother of three. “It’s like a lifeline for our community.”
Hometown Market and the drug store next door provide what some small towns can’t– convenience.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
A new twist: Moundridge student’s invention wins national competition
Logan Wulf is a typical, active fifth grader who recently earned national recognition with his science fair project.
Science is one of Logan’s favorite subjects at school.
“I like doing STEM and building things,” Logan said.
After class, he plays football. He also enjoys other activities like riding his four-wheeler around the pasture at his grandmother’s house.
When issued the challenge of inventing something for the National Museum of Education’s Student Ideas for a Better America competition, an idea came to his mind.
(Read more: News – McPhersonSentinel – McPherson, KS)
El Dorado Seaman laid to rest 78 years after Pearl Harbor attacks
El Dorado welcomed home one of her native sons more than 77 years after his death.
Seaman Second Class Wilbur Clayton Barrett was among the 429 Sailors aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor when it was struck on December 7, 1941.
He remained among the unidentified and was listed as one of the unknowns from the USS Oklahoma that have been buried in mass graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)
Cowley College student designs a city flag proposal, brings it to council meeting
Chandra Pourner, a graphic design student at Cowley College, presented a flag she had designed for the city. It was a class assignment to design a flag for a city, and she chose Wellington.
It is a simple design of wheat stalks and stars on a blue field.
Mayor Shelley Hansel said she liked the flag a lot.
“I am blown away,” she said. “You did everything right. Simple colors, memorable and tells a story.”
(Read more: Sumner NewsCow)
Mulvane will have second citywide garage sale
This October, Mulvane residents will be able to take part in a citywide garage sale, the second in the city this year.
City Administrator Kent Hixson says he believes residents held the first fall citywide sale last year. He said high interest among residents led to the second annual sale.
“They just happen. Very organic,” Hixson said.
(Read more: Area | derbyinformer.com)
Neil Armstrong’s brother (a long-time resident of Marion and Peabody!) to lead Old Settlers Day parade
Longtime Marion resident Dean Armstrong, brother of astronaut Neil Armstrong, his wife, Kate, children, and grandchildren will lead the Old Settlers Day parade in a float designed as a space shuttle. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren will ride on a trailer behind the float dressed as astronauts.
Armstrong has lived at the county lake since 2006 and lived in Florence for 15 years before moving to Marion.
His brother, Neil, was the first man to set foot on the moon 50 years ago as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
(Read more: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin)
Group fighting to protect Century II calls it the ’most iconic structure in Wichita’
A group of people fighting to protect Century II from what they fear is an effort to tear down the iconic building in downtown Wichita met there Tuesday to advocate for remodeling the structure instead.
One of the organizers of the meeting, which was attended by about 100 people, said he believes an international consulting group plans to demolish the 50-year-old convention and performing arts center along the Arkansas River.
(Read more: Local News |)
Lenexa continues study of Ad Astra Pool, considers options to renovate or replace on site
Preliminary data from a geotechnical analysis of Ad Astra Pool in Lenexa has found no conclusive evidence for the reason behind the pool’s perpetual maintenance issues.
In a report shared Tuesday night with the city council, city staff said they plan to continue studying the issue, complete the geotechnical analysis and begin a public engagement process in the coming weeks on next steps for the site.
No action was taken Tuesday, as city leaders are waiting on the geotechnical analysis to be complete.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Prairie Village looking at highest level of LEED certification for new public works facility
The Prairie Village city council this week gave preliminary direction to city staff to begin detailed planning for the replacement of the aging public works facility off Somerset Drive east of Corinth Square with new facilities that could meet the highest level of energy efficiency certification.
Earlier this year, the department conducted an analysis of the condition of the existing public works buildings, finding that four of the six structures on site were in either fair or poor condition and that the facilities would need major renovations to be brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)
Sedgwick County rejects controversial home for foster youths
After a fourth lengthy debate, a proposal for a care home for foster children near Haysville has been finally rejected by the Sedgwick County Commission.
Although Wednesday’s debate lasted more than two hours, the outcome was never really in doubt. The vote was exactly the same as the first time it came before the commission in July.
Two commissioners, Lacey Cruse and Jim Howell, favored allowing the youth care facility. Three — David Dennis, Michael O’Donnell and Pete Meitzner — were against it.
(Read more: Local News |)
Olathe earns four awards at Kansas Water Environment Association annual conference
The City of Olathe is proud to announce that city facilities and staff earned four awards at the recent Kansas Water Environment Association annual conference.
The Harold Street Wastewater Treatment Facility was named a top Class 5 plant in the state (facilities treating more than three million gallons per day). The Compost Facility on Hedge Lane was honored with the top biosolids management program in Kansas for 2019. Both awards are a result of the passion of the operators, plant maintenance, and laboratory staff who are on-call 24/7 to protect the environment and health of Olathe citizens.
(Read more: Gardner News)
KWA learns of northwest Kansas water conservation efforts
Recently the Kansas Water Authority (KWA) met in Goodland under the new direction of Constance (Connie) Crittenden Owen who was appointed Chair this past summer by Governor Kelly to lead the KWA.
“My experience as a licensed attorney practicing Kansas water law for more than 25 years has exposed me to real-life water issues that affect individuals and families, as well as businesses and municipalities,” said Owen. “As Chair I welcome the opportunity to apply the knowledge and expertise of the board members, professionals in our state agencies and stakeholders throughout Kansas to protect our water resources for current and future generations.”
(Read more: Hays Post)