Southwest Kansas might take a big step toward water conservation in ways previously thought to be impossible. Groundwater Management District 3, headquartered in Garden City, is looking for feedback from local farmers on its plan to use less water for crop irrigation in the region. A discussion on proposed water cuts recently attracted farmers from counties across the southwest part of the state, who filled a small community building. Trevor Ahring, civil engineer for the district, told the sea of Kansas State University baseball caps and flannel shirts the details of the plan – all with the objective of easing the strain on the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from South Dakota to Texas. “Our goals are to stabilize the aquifer over the course of 20 years; that’s a 27.7% reduction in use in this area,” Ahring said.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Near Ashland, along the state line south of Dodge City, flames and heavy smoke pushed closer to town. For one small business owner, it meant abandoning her dream home and storefront. Just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Tammy Lawrence took a video of the smoky sky and texted her husband, “Do we need to start packing?” At first, they decided to stay put, but then Ashland Hospital began evacuating patients, the school cleared out, and the fire jumped Highway 283. Soon after, Highway 160 and the main road out of Ashland were shut down.
Read more: KSN-TV

Fire crews in Garden City will be working through Tuesday night to contain a wildfire in northeastern Finney County. The Garden City Fire Department said the fire stretches roughly 11 miles long and 1½ wide in some spots. The fire is currently at zero percent containment and has destroyed one shed. “No commercial structures. It’s sort of in a rural populated area of our county, so houses are pretty spaced out, so I think that’s what aided in not being able to lose any structures today,” Chris Talmadge, Windland Operations for the GCFD, said. Firefighting aircraft were grounded on Tuesday due to extreme winds. Talmadge said he hopes they will be able to use them on Wednesday to get to hard-to-reach areas.
Read more: KSN-TV

Liberal secured its third straight victory against Olney, England, on Tuesday in the 77th Annual International Pancake Day Race. Hannah McCarter crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 1:03.75, beating Olney’s top runner time by two minutes. Since the tradition began in the 1950’s, Liberal has won 43 times, Olney has won 31 times and three times there was no contest.
Read more: KSN-TV

A popular firefighting tool among Kansas firefighters can be found on their smartphones. The Barton County Fire District 2 chief said his team relies on the Active 911 app, especially during extreme wildfire weather. Chief Jerry Strickler said it provides accurate information straight to firefighters’ phones, connecting information from dispatch to deploying first responders and those already in the field. “This app can tell us where the fire’s at, exact location, hydrant locations within the city, mile markers,” he said. “Just about anything you would need to get to the scene.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Seward County is operating an evacuation center at the county’s activity center in Liberal for people fleeing fires in the area. Lynda Johnson, the center’s director, said the space had to be rapidly cleaned up and prepared to receive evacuees Tuesday after the city held its annual Pancake Run that morning. When Johnson spoke with KSN just before 5 p.m., the shelter was empty. But calls had started to come in from those wanting to know where to go or if there was shelter space for their animals. Capt. Jeff Wade with the Liberal Police Department said people were complying with the evacuations in the area. He urged curious residents not to go out and try to see what’s happening for the sake of their own health and safety.
Read more: KSN-TV

Three people were hospitalized after a house fire Tuesday in Holcomb, according to the Garden City Fire Department. It happened on Redford Drive around 7:15 a.m. Holcomb is just a few miles west of Garden City. Garden City firefighters, along with the Holcomb Fire Department, arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the home. Crews found two people who had escaped with minor injuries. Another person was heard yelling from inside the home and was rescued by firefighters.
Read more: KSN-TV

City officials are considering changing the zoning code to provide more flexibility on developing multi-family residential projects. The Topeka City Council voted to approve the ordinance introduced by City Manager Robert Perez on Feb. 17. It will provide greater flexibility for the development of duplex and multi-family housing in commercial, downtown and mixed-use zoning districts in Topeka. Current zoning code allows for residential units above ground level floors and in basements, but housing on the ground level is restricted based on special use requirements. These requirements include being located near non-residential zones and being located in a building meant for housing.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Haven’s recreation department board no longer exists. During the Haven City Council’s special meeting on Feb. 17, City Council Member Nicole Sander introduced a discussion item regarding the city’s recreation department board. She said that, in her research, she had not found a formal ordinance authorizing the creation of the board. Scrutiny towards the rec board from city council was spurred by what City Council Member Corey Brock described as Haven residents’ discontent with the rec’s customer service and a general lack of communication between the rec board and city council. This led to discussion about potentially disbanding the board and reforming it via ordinance to be directly under the city.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune