Governor Kelly announced that the application window for the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program has opened. She said the program is crucial to the state’s plan to address broadband gaps statewide, adding that funds will be targeted to areas unlikely to get broadband service without state or federal funding support. The program, which was launched last year, is poised to invest roughly $85 million over the next 10 years to bridge the digital divide in Kansas, with help from broadband modernization funding provided by the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Wichita City Council members have approved a preliminary agreement for the development of about two acres of land near Maple and McLean, adding new features to the area around Riverfront Stadium. A Memorandum of Understanding calls for Wichita Riverfront LP and EPC Real Estate to build a full-service hotel of at least six floors and at least 150 rooms. There will also be a 55,000 square-foot office building with at least 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The project will also build a parking garage with at least 200 spaces that can provide public parking on evenings and weekends. There are also plans for public improvements along the west bank of the Arkansas River. The city will use Tax Increment Financing, supported by increases in property tax revenue, for the parking garage. The city is also setting aside $3 million in unallocated funds for the public riverbank improvements, but that will only be used if funding is unavailable through the state’s SPARK program, using funds from the American Rescue Plan.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI