Iola and Allen County are launching new initiatives to boost economic development, tackle workforce shortages, and attract high-wage jobs to the region. Camille Lavon spent her first six months as economic development director for Iola and Allen County doing a lot of listening and learning. Her goal: to become as intimately familiar as possible with what the local business climate had to offer, and what needed help. Some of the challenges were hardly a mystery, reflective of southeast Kansas as a whole: businesses are struggling in an area with aging infrastructure,  affordable housing shortages and declining population. Mostly, companies have found it difficult to find quality employees. Tack in news that Gates Corporation was closing a production line, and cutting more than 80 jobs in the process, and it’s safe to say Lavon’s getting-to-know-you stage was a whirlwind.
Read more: The Iola Register

A long-awaited upgrade to Humboldt’s animal shelter is complete, replacing a decades-old facility with a modern space designed to better care for animals and serve the community. Construction on the new building at 700 S. First St. began in January and was led by Hanson Contracting of Humboldt, whose crew handled the bulk of the work on a tight timeline. For Animal Control Officer Sheri Modlin, the new shelter is a major improvement over what the community has relied on for years. The previous structure, she explained, consisted of just four outdoor kennels and dated back to around 1970. “We’ve always had a small shelter,” she said.  Over time, maintaining it became an ongoing challenge as inspections repeatedly revealed issues that needed to be addressed. Rather than continuing to patch an outdated facility, an unexpected opportunity made a full replacement possible. Funding for the project came from a donation left by the late David Bain and his sister, the late Kay Frances (Bain) Davis, both Humboldt natives.
Read more: The Iola Register

Wamego will soon be home to the world’s largest Toto. The Wamego Chamber of Commerce was awarded an attraction and development grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Tourism to construct a 15-foot tall Toto statue modeled after illustrations from the original “The Wizard of OZ” book by L. Frank Baum. This allows the community to avoid any potential legal battles with MGM, which produced the classic 1939 film. “Toto is a character that we can use and don’t have to worry about copyright issues, which that goes dating back to the original Toto statues,” said Corey Reeves, the chamber’s tourism and event manager. Kansas Department of Commerce director of tourism Bridgette Jobe said one thing Kansas historically does really well is “world’s largest” items, with 12 attractions already statewide.
Read more: themercury.com

The Topeka Tenants group has formally endorsed a rental registry for the city. A rental registry would require landlords to register their properties with the local municipality. The Shawnee County Landlords Association has expressed opposition to the proposed registry. Topeka Tenants have formerly endorsed giving a rental list on the books. During the Public Health and Safety Committee meeting on March 11, Jonathan Smith, a Topeka Tenant member, read the endorsement for the committee. “Topeka Tenants, formerly endorses a landlord registry and tenant protection proposals that would include many benefits for both tenants and landlords, thus creating social safety nets for vulnerable populations on both sides,” Smith said. “Ultimately, we believe a landlord registry will result in a safer and more inviting city.”
Read more: Topeka Capital

Casey’s convenience stores are being planned in Maize and Kechi, a return to Maize and a first for Kechi for the chain. A March building permit filed with the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, valued at $585,000, shows a Casey’s store planned for 5345 N. Maize Road, at the intersection of 53rd Street North and Maize Road. The building at the address was a former Pizza Hut, according to an online listing. The site is near entrance and exit ramps to K-96. Casey’s formerly had a store in Maize at 4605 Maize Road that had operated for roughly 30 years before it closed in October 2016, the Wichita Eagle reported.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal

For the past several years, more than one third of teams playing in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship have had to stay in hotels outside of Reno County for the tournament in Hutchinson, as there weren’t enough appropriate blocs of hotel rooms. LeAnn Cox, vice president of operations and tourism with Visit Hutch, said the contract with the NJCAA requires 10 rooms each with two beds per team. Since the closure of the Atrium Hotel in 2019, nine teams have had to stay in McPherson, Maize, or elsewhere, she said. But since the opening of the Hilton Garden Inn last fall, the number of teams staying outside of Hutchinson will be reduced to three when the tournament tips off Saturday.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The nitrate level in Dodge City’s water has dropped below the federal standard and is safe to drink, the city announced on Wednesday. The city said secondary testing showed the nitrate level within the water system was at 6.42 milligrams per liter. The testing was conducted at a lab that holds National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program certification, which is recognized by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Read more: KSN-TV

In his press conference Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said monetary policy is “appropriate.” The Federal Open Market Committee held interest rates in a range between 3.5% and 3.75%, with one 25 basis point rate cut expected this year and one next year, as the Middle East conflict lingers.
Read more: Bond Buyer and CNBC