Friday was your chance to drag race a Wichita police officer

13 Monday, June 13

Friday was your chance to drag race a Wichita police officer

info2022-06-13T07:59:56-05:00June 13th, 2022|

The Wichita Police Department and Mel Hambelton Ford are teaming up again this year for an event to help curb illegal street racing. The second-annual "Beat the Heat" event is Friday, June 10 at Kansas International Dragway at 7800 West 61st Street North, near Maize. Each racer will be charged a $20 entry fee and will be required to sign a waiver. It's $8 per person for spectators and kids 12 and under get in free. ...The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office will have a couple of patrol deputies participating as well. Source: KAKE - News

13 Monday, June 13

Finney County/Garden City discuss blackbird mitigation in joint meeting

info2022-06-13T07:55:47-05:00June 13th, 2022|

Finney County Commissioners and Garden City Commissioners discussed nuisance bird mitigation at a joint meeting on Monday. ... County Commissioner Lon Pishny said he started investigating mitigation of the birds, which include species such as European starlings, common grackles, great-tailed grackles, red-winged blackbirds, American crows, Eurasian collared doves and pigeons over a year ago. The large bird population is damaging the area with feces accumulation from roosting, which causes a human health and safety hazard; damage to HVAC systems, electrical substations and power stations; damage to vegetation including trees and landscaping within city limits; lost crop yields; and economic loss for [...]

13 Monday, June 13

Backyard poultry leads to salmonella outbreak in U.S.

info2022-06-13T01:22:50-05:00June 13th, 2022|

One person has died and 27 have been hospitalized in over 38 states, including Kansas, as a salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry sweeps the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning people after recording 219 cases of salmonella across the country. Illnesses started appearing in February of 2022 and spiked on May 5, 2022, but were still being recorded as of May 22. Kansas has been fortunate with only one recorded case, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin have all seen 10 to 15 cases. Source: KSN-TV

13 Monday, June 13

Community comes together to preserve Altamont Flag Day

info2022-06-13T01:21:51-05:00June 13th, 2022|

A Southeast Kansas community came together to keep a tradition alive. Today marked the return of the annual Altamont Flag Day. It almost didn't happen this year. A committee is usually in charge of putting the whole event together, but they were all unable to due to other commitments. Altamont city clerk Heather Beasley took it upon herself to rally volunteers together, and in just three weeks Flag Day was ready to go. "Luckily there was a whole notebook of stuff that they were able to give us, so we kind of had a starting point to go to, and just [...]

13 Monday, June 13

Topeka FD camp empowers women to get involved firefighting

info2022-06-13T07:57:00-05:00June 13th, 2022|

The Topeka Fire Department is hosting the annual Camp Courage for women this week. Camp Courage is offered for women ages 14-20 who want to learn about the world of firefighting from a woman’s perspective. The camp is a way to encourage women to get involved in fire service and show what firefighting entails. During the weeklong camp that started Monday, campers participate in different real-world activities to teach them different experiences. This includes deploying hoses, search and rescue, medical protocols and more. The instructors for the camp come from all over the state of Kansas to teach women about being [...]

13 Monday, June 13

Wichita will look to eliminate extra 1% sales tax at K-96, Greenwich early

info2022-06-13T07:57:39-05:00June 13th, 2022|

A community improvement district anchored by the Wichita Sports Forum near K-96 and Greenwich Road has been collecting an extra 1% sales tax since October 2015, and has so far accumulated $1,836,810 in revenue. City economic development officials say that's enough to reimburse the special assessment bonds used to help cover the costs of K-96 interchange improvements. Wichita's City Council will decide Tuesday whether to terminate the CID early — eliminating the 1% sales tax effective Oct. 1. The CID up for consideration was established in 2013 in partnership with K-96 Destination Development Inc., developers of Greenwich Place shopping and dining [...]

10 Friday, June 10

Three bike tours coming through Kansas

info2022-06-12T14:50:47-05:00June 10th, 2022|

While Biking Across Kansas will send about 600 cyclists streaming through the area next week, the annual non-competitive ride isn’t the only bicycle-related event that passes through central Kansas this month. With three riders killed while traveling through the state over the past five years, cyclists and event organizers are asking motorists to be aware and share the road. State law requires at least 3 feet of space between a cyclist and a vehicle when passing, so drivers should pass like any other vehicle, only when it is safe to do so with sufficient space. Two races -- the Trans Am [...]

10 Friday, June 10

100th Anniversary of Otis Volunteer FD

info2022-06-12T14:49:15-05:00June 10th, 2022|

This year the Town of Otis and the Otis Volunteer Fire Department will be gearing up for a huge celebration on the 4th of July Celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Otis Volunteer Fire Department. ... There will be a first Responder's Parade down Otis Main Street starting at 9:30. This is something new to recognize all agencies of emergency responders. Source: Otis Telegraph.

10 Friday, June 10

Municipal Bond Trends for June 10, 2022

info2022-06-12T14:17:19-05:00June 10th, 2022|

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.

10 Friday, June 10

As part of budget cuts, Lawrence school district plans for a third of elementary classes to be multigrade next year

info2022-06-12T14:16:34-05:00June 10th, 2022|

Current Lawrence school district estimates call for about a third of the district’s elementary classrooms to be multigrade next school year, and one school has opted to convert all its elementary classrooms to multigrade. The number of multigrade classrooms won’t be finalized until August, but the district is currently estimating that 40 of its 119 elementary classrooms, or about 34%, will combine grade levels. Which students end up in a multigrade classroom will vary between schools and grades, and at least two schools have already begun notifying parents of plans to combine classes. Parents will be notified of official placements in [...]