Wichita police chief Gordon Ramsay tells the department he won’t be headed to Texas

Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay will not be taking over the troubled Austin Police Department in Texas, city officials said Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Whipple said he was informed by City Manager Robert Layton that Ramsay will be staying in his current job for the foreseeable future. Whipple said he was delighted by the news and that Ramsay’s community policing initiatives have “really brought us closer to the goals of what other cities are trying to do as well. Chief Ramsay has done a really good job of setting that standard.” Ramsay emailed the department Wednesday that he was no longer in the running for the Austin position, saying he’s “forever grateful for the support and kind words of those of you who reached out. It means a lot.” “This process confirmed to me WPD (Wichita Police Department) is way ahead of others in many, many ways – due to the efforts of many of you,” he wrote. “While of course it is disappointing, I have way too much to be grateful for to give the news much energy.“
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

2021-08-12T00:03:06-05:00August 12, 2021|News|

$433,720 sought from wind farm

A new offer approved Monday seeks to resolve months of dispute over road damage in and around the Diamond Vista wind farm in northern Marion County. After a 15-minute closed-door session with counselor Brad Jantz, county commissioners voted to send the wind farm’s owner, Enel Green Power of North America, a letter demanding payment of $433,720 to settle all claims relative to the wind farm’s road maintenance agreement. Nearly two years ago, independent engineers estimated it would cost $473,020 to repair damage to 340th, 350th, 360th, Chisholm Trail, Diamond, Indigo, Limestone, and Pawnee Rds.
Source: Marion County RECORD

2021-08-12T06:41:49-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

Issue of flag with profanity heads to Blue Rapids court

Blue Rapids resident David Sain recently flew a flag with a profane statement in his front yard for three months before a neighbor complained to the city. Soon a petition to remove the flag was circulated and signed by 21 neighbors. City officials told Sain to remove the flag. Sain complied, taking it down. Then he placed it in a window in his home. The flag includes profanity against President Joe Biden and against those who voted for him. When Sain re-posted the sign in his window, police cited him and a trial before Judge Gerri Wybo was set for Sept. 7 in Blue Rapids Municipal Court. Sain has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of violating the city’s Uniform Public Offense Code, Article 11, which deals with “offenses against public morals.” The violation is in regard to promoting obscenity, said Mayor Jerry Zayas. City officials say they want the flag removed because enough neighbors signed a petition noting there are children in the neighborhood who could see the profanity. … Sain disagrees and said it’s his right under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to display the flag. … Max Kautsch, who often handles First Amendment questions as an attorney with the Kansas Press Association, said the city faces a high bar in convincing a judge the flag should be removed.
Source: The Marysville Advocate

2021-08-12T06:48:17-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

LKM general counsel departing

Amanda Stanley is stepping down as general counsel for the League of Kansas Municipalities later this month to take a job as the city attorney for Topeka. “My time at the league is coming to an end,” Stanley wrote in a Facebook post. “It has truly been the privilege of my life serving cities and being your voice for the last five years,” Stanley wrote to her Facebook friends. Stanley, who has a background in law and medicine, lobbied at the Capitol on behalf of cities on a variety of issues. She had been the league’s general counsel since December 2017. She started as counsel at the league in April 2016.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

2021-08-12T06:42:12-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

Evel Knievel Museum reportedly leaving Topeka for Las Vegas

t appears the Evel Knievel Museum will be jumping from Topeka to Las Vegas. A Las Vegas newspaper reported Monday the museum dedicated to the career of Robert Craig Knievel, who became known for his death-defying stunts and tricks on motorbikes, will move to the Las Vegas Arts District. Amanda Beach, the museum’s marketing director in Topeka, said Tuesday the report was “a bit premature” but the deal is “imminent.” The museum opened in Topeka in 2017.
Source: LJWorld.com.

2021-08-11T07:56:42-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

In wake of ‘boom’ in rural neighborhoods, proposed change would bar more housing near Lawrence until the city expands

Among the many factors working against the City of Lawrence’s efforts to have denser, more environmentally sustainable and ultimately more affordable housing is a development trend happening on land just beyond the city’s boundaries. Recent decades have seen a boom of rural neighborhoods with multi-acre lots near the city’s boundaries, precluding denser city expansion in those areas and creating other problems for both the city and the county. Newly proposed regulations would put a halt to such developments and encourage what planners say is a smarter way for the community to grow.
Source: LJWorld.com.

2021-08-11T07:55:58-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

Lawrence adopts revised version of downtown plan that will shape development for next 20 years

After making a couple of changes, city leaders have approved a plan that will shape development in the downtown district for years to come. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted 3-1, with Commissioner Lisa Larsen absent and Commissioner Stuart Boley opposed, to adopt the Downtown Lawrence Plan with the changes agreed to during the meeting. Commissioners voted to change the wording of the plan to make a stronger commitment to increasing housing downtown, and they also added a reference to an existing plan that would serve as a guide for arts and culture efforts.
Source: LJWorld.com.

2021-08-11T07:54:21-05:00August 11, 2021|News|

Blue Valley extends mask mandate to everyone, following other Johnson County schools

Following the lead of most other Johnson County districts, the Blue Valley school board on Monday decided to extend its mask mandate to everyone at all grade levels. Last week, the district announced it would require masks inside elementary and middle schools, abiding by a county health order mandating masks for all private and public schools that teach students as old as sixth grade. But most Johnson County districts decided to go further than the county’s order and require masks for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, worried that low vaccination rates among unmasked high schoolers would lead to mass quarantines and outbreaks.
Source: Joco 913 News

2021-08-12T06:48:35-05:00August 10, 2021|News|

Wichita hospitals out of ICU beds

If you’re familiar with the Sedgwick County COVID-19 dashboard, you’ll notice there are 208 total ICU beds at Wesley and Via Christi combined. But, just because that’s now maxed out again for the first time since February, doesn’t mean they’re turning people away. At least not yet. “They’ve had to hold hands with patients, repeatedly with patients who are dying and having their last breath,” said Sedgwick County Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns. Minns said Wesley and Via Christi are at max capacity as COVID cases continue to climb. “It’s a little complicated. It’s not just base. It’s also staffing. And you can’t just put these patients in a room on a ventilator and walk away. You have to have staff that are monitoring them every minute,” said Minns.
Source: KAKE – News

2021-08-10T23:33:55-05:00August 10, 2021|News|
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