The airline industry has been one of the many industries impacted by the pandemic. But, Pittsburg’s Atkinson Municipal Airport has somehow managed to keep things going. Now — it’s about to receive some help. Daron Hall, Pittsburg City Manager, said, “With the public side of things, people being out and about has obviously taken a huge hit with the shut down.” Air travel took a huge hit more than a year ago as a result of the pandemic.
Source: KSN.

In many rural communities, people often have to quite a distance in order to receive the healthcare they need. But this will soon change for folks in Labette County. Oswego, specifically. Brian Williams, Labette Health CEO & President, said, “County commissioner told me it was a dream that started 30 years ago for him to have EMS and healthcare all under one roof.” A dream being made possible thanks to Friday’s groundbreaking in Oswego. “We’re building a rural health clinic along with an emergency medical services building.” Access to healthcare in and around Oswego has been difficult – particularly over the last two years.
Source: KSN.

The City of Lenexa is seeking more than $600 million in federal aid for a pair of road construction projects in Johnson County that failed to get the green light at the state level. Lenexa wants more than $400 million to complete the third phase of the expansive Johnson County Gateway project at the heavily traveled interchange of I-435, I-35 and K-10. The proposal would pay for the construction of a flyover ramp at I-35 northbound and I-435 westbound and improvements to the I-435 interchange at 95th Street among other upgrades to reduce congestion.
Source: KC Star.

Two years ago, Nick Poels decided he wanted K-12 students in his rural Kansas community of 2,500 to learn to code. Kids in Phillipsburg soon had a brand-new computer lab, and Poels hoped 20 or 30 children might use it. “Within two weeks of school starting, we had 351 students involved,” he said. Poels quickly realized he had touched on something. At the time he was the economic development director for Phillips County, in north-central Kansas. Now he’s working with nonprofit NetWork Kansas on a new project to bring computer science education to K-12 schools across the state, with support from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The first focus of his new project, dubbed Ignister, is to push for computer science classes to count as a core curriculum toward high school graduation in Kansas.
Source: Wichita Eagle.

When newcomers visit Wichita, many inevitably bring up the affordable cost of living, especially in regard to housing. For most Americans, rent and mortgage payments are the largest monthly expense they accrue. And research shows that affordable housing positively impacts education, health and economic outcomes of communities at-large. But keeping housing affordable for residents while maintaining and improving spaces requires a delicate balance. This is especially important now, as Wichita finds itself in the thick of a housing boom with listings selling at an unprecedented pace.
Source: Chung Report.

Johnson County’s health order requiring masks and social distancing in businesses has become a “strong recommendation,” which carries no enforcement but still encourages employers and organizations to follow federal COVID-19 guidelines. On Thursday, the Johnson County Commission voted 5-1 on a resolution that points residents and employers toward the Centers for Disease Control for best practices on mask wearing and social distancing. Assistant County Manager Joe Connor said the resolution puts the commission on record as backing public health experts while leaving flexibility for changes in federal guidelines that may come as more Americans become vaccinated and cases drop.
Source: Shawnee Post.

Motorized scooters like those in downtown Kansas City are back on the drawing board in Overland Park after a two-year hiatus. A city council committee Wednesday agreed that the city should pursue a pilot project for a scooter share program that could start as early as this summer. The committee asked city staff to move forward with the details after a brief discussion Wednesday night.
Source: Shawnee Post.

The downtown Shawnee core is now a public common consumption area, which means drinking establishments can more easily host outdoor events and serve alcohol in patio settings. After a brief discussion, the Shawnee City Council on Monday unanimously approved the move creating a public common consumption area within the downtown core at Johnson Drive and Nieman Road. The area covers four square blocks bounded by King Street to the west, West 58th Street to the north, Bluejacket Avenue to the east, and West 59th Street to the south.
Source: Shawnee Post.

Each year, the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) and the Division of Water Resources (DWR) measure more than 1,400 wells to track the drops in groundwater levels. Throughout 2020, experts recorded an average groundwater decline of nearly one foot across the Kansas portion of the High-Plains Aquifer. The High Plains Aquifer is one of the world’s largest groundwater resources. It stretches across parts of eight states from South Dakota to Texas and is a significant part in growing billions of dollars of crops each year. The Ogallala portion is the largest in Kansas and perhaps of the most concern.
Source: KSN.

A communications company wants to sign a franchise agreement with the city of Parsons to allow for underground fiber optic cable on city right of way. The city commission will consider an ordinance during a regular Monday evening meeting that would allow Cox Communication Kansas LLC to install an advanced fiber optic network in town. During a Thursday work session, City Attorney Ross Albertini said the non-exclusive franchise agreement is based on one the commission approved about five years ago for Fibernet with a “few minor tweaks.”
Source: Parsons Sun.