Hinz excited for opportunities as new Burrton police officer

Burrton’s new full-time police officer, Mason Hinz, sees the community as a good fit for him. “I’m excited to be here and bring a new set of eyes to everything,” he said. Hinz’s first day with the department was Sept. 30, and he said he is liking his new job so far. “The first couple days have been kind of some admin, paperwork, and taking care of some stuff,” he said. “I went and walked around the schools and drove around town, kind of some introductions to faces around town. So far, it’s been an awesome experience. I’m excited to be here.” Hinz comes to Burrton after working for Halstead Police for the past two years. Through that job, he assisted Burrton Police on some calls. “So I’ve been a few times but haven’t really had a chance to just drive around and learn a lot about the city or the community,” he said.
Source: Harvey County Now

2021-10-06T23:38:46-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Resident voices concerns about proposed wind farms

Kathy Hisel requested that the Board of Harvey County Commissioners and members of the Harvey County Planning Commission sign affidavits that they have no conflicts of interest before signing off on any wind farms. Hisel, who addressed commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting Tuesday, said it was harder to make a dirty deal in the sunlight. She said it was important for commissioners to get a proposal for wind farms in the county right and not lose out to greed. NextEra Energy announced its intent to develop wind energy here last month. Hisel said NextEra protected its own interests and she asked commissioners to protect those of county residents. She said her initial concern was protecting the water supply from turbidity and contamination. She said she also was concerned about who would remove the turbines if they became obsolete in a few years.
Source: Harvey County Now

2021-10-06T23:34:43-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Housing Conference seeks solutions for affordable housing problem in McPherson County

Representatives from all aspects of the housing market were in attendance at the McPherson Housing Conference on Oct. 1 at the McPherson Community Building. Coordinated by the United Way of McPherson County, financiers, real estate agents, builders, landlords, government agency representatives and members of the faith community were all in attendance. Subject matter also covered a wide range of topics including government programs, non-profit organizations, gaps in information about the Fair Housing Act and the role of stable housing in raising children affected by trauma.
Source: McPherson Weekly News

2021-10-07T06:52:26-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Derby city attorney explains change in new AT&T franchise ordinance

To allow companies to provide services on the city’s dedicated right-of-way, franchise ordinances exist in Derby for said companies to operate uninterrupted. Currently, the city’s franchise ordinance with AT&T has expired, so City Attorney Jacque Butler presented a new one to the Derby City Council for a first reading at its Sept. 28 meeting. Given changes over the years, Butler pointed out that the newly proposed ordinance would be a little different. Per state law, cities can charge an access line fee or gross receipts fee as part of the franchise ordinance, with Derby using the former for several years. AT&T currently pays $2.50 per month per access line. With households no longer maintaining or using landline phone services, though, that franchise fee collected by Derby has steadily declined. At present, the city receives approximately $1,100 per month in franchise fees from AT&T. … As proposed, a move to a gross receipts franchise fee (equal to five percent of the company’s gross receipts) would bring in an estimated $1,500 per month. The structure is in line with the city’s 2020 franchise agreement with IdeaTek and mirrors those imposed on AT&T in Wichita, Bel Aire, El Dorado, Overland Park, Johnson County and more. “It’s just about changing how we’re doing business because people are changing the way they’re doing their telecommunications services,” Butler said.
Source: Derby Informer | News

2021-10-07T06:55:13-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Wichita cracking down on homeless camps on private property, new white lines mark boundaries

Hundreds and hundreds of people are living homeless and out on the streets in Wichita. Camping out and blocking public sidewalks is simply not allowed. City workers have painted white lines in front of the Open Door shelter on Topeka Street earlier this week. Wichita’s police say it’s in an effort to clean up homeless camps that have been causing problems. … Straight spray painted lines now mark what’s public and what’s private. “(The lines) Showing where the sidewalk is and anything outside of that is going to be trespassing,” Officer Nate Schwiethale with Wichita PD’s Homeless Outreach Team said in a video on Facebook.
Source: KAKE – News

2021-10-07T06:56:58-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

How do white lines hope to deter homelessness in downtown Wichita?

Striping the sidewalks to curb crime. That is the latest push by Wichita police and city leaders. Around 700 to 800 a month is how many emergency calls the Wichita Homeless Outreach team said they get in the Open Door area in Downtown Wichita. They said the white lines will make a difference. “This is just us trying to do something else that eliminates the concern that stakeholders in that area have,” said Captain Wendell Nicholson, the Wichita Police Department Patrol South Bureau commander. Wichita police said drugs and violence are common at 2nd and Topeka. They said business owners reached out to them sharing their frustrations with people blocking their sidewalks, sleeping on their properties, and engaging in illegal activity.
Source: KSN-TV

2021-10-06T23:20:27-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Kansas housing market grows hotter

The steady rise in home prices that defined the housing market in 2021 looks to continue steadily into next year across Kansas, according to a new report forecasting the statewide housing market. The Wichita State University Center for Real Estate released its annual Kansas Housing Market Forecast Series report for 2022 Wednesday. The study projects statewide home sales increasing, construction will remain constrained by supply chain issues and home prices will continue to rise. “The supply of homes available for sale remains near historic lows,” Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate said in a release. “Although bidding wars may not be as intense as they were earlier this year, it will continue to be a sellers’ market across most market segments.”
Source: The Iola Register

2021-10-07T06:57:43-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Lawrence’s municipal services workers petition for election to unionize

Municipal Services and Operations workers are the latest City of Lawrence group to seek unionization with Teamsters Local 696. The union has filed a petition “with overwhelming support,” asking the city to conduct an election for the workers, according to a Wednesday news release from the Teamsters. “We are coming together to improve working conditions and secure better wages. We know that the Teamsters will give us the voice and strength to address the issues that matter most to us,” Dave Osborne, a utilities worker for the city, said in a press release. The MSO department includes three divisions — from the city’s website: infrastructure and maintenance (facilities and structures, street and stormwater maintenance, pavement management, water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment), engineering (engineering design and technical support, stormwater, utility and traffic engineering), and services (solid waste, water, wastewater, fleet management, and administrative functions).
Source: The Lawrence Times

2021-10-06T23:16:52-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Kansas wind energy just turned 20 and now it’s bracing for a quarter-life crisis

The wind farm business in Kansas has hit its awkward adolescence. It’s still growing 20 years in, but unsure what the near future might hold. If it wants to get through those tough years and continue to grow, it needs to find more workers, to figure out what to do with the dated-but-not-obsolete turbines erected two decades ago and to sort out a way to carry all that wind-harvesting muscle beyond the state’s borders. Consider the burly, newest version of wind farming at the Cimarron Bend wind farm south of Dodge City. “We just watch and listen to the towers,” said project supervisor Dewain Pfaff, who’s responsible for keeping about 300 turbines up and running. “If you can hear a noise we want to mitigate those issues as soon as possible.”
Source: KCUR News

2021-10-06T06:55:10-05:00October 6, 2021|News|
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