The Sedgwick County Zoo will ring in its 50th birthday on May 27 with an unveiling of its new entry building and zoo store, both of which will run on 100% renewable energy. The zoo also plans to announce six additional environmental initiatives to reduce the zoo’s carbon footprint. “I think the role of the modern zoo and aquarium is more important today than it’s ever been,” said Dr. Jeff Ettling, the zoo’s executive director. “We all need to take action now because we’re seeing the dramatic impact that climate change is having here at home. We really need to walk the talk. It’s one thing to talk about conservation, it’s another to actually put it into action.” These changes are part of a broader campaign the zoo started on Earth Day 2018, which included eliminating single-use plastic lids and straws and a comprehensive recycling program.
Source: Wichita Eagle.

The Federal Reserve will remain on hold for the rest of this year despite an increasing belief on Wall Street that policymakers should throttle back the stimulus they’re providing to the U.S. economy, according to the latest CNBC Fed Survey. Respondents to the survey forecast the Fed won’t reduce its $120 billion of asset purchases until January, three months later than predicted in CNBC’s March survey. And the first rate hike won’t come until December 2022, survey respondents said.
Source: CNBC.

A Johnson County judge sided with the city of Shawnee on Monday after a resident sued when she was denied entry into a city meeting without wearing a mask. It’s among the latest in a string of challenges to mask mandates under Kansas Senate Bill 40, which opened up a new system for fighting city, county and school district COVID-19 restrictions. In Johnson County alone, several residents have challenged mask mandates in three school districts — Blue Valley, Olathe and De Soto — and all were upheld.
Source: KC Star.

The storm that hit on April 26, 1991, is most known for devastating the community of Andover. But the F5 twister also hit parts of Wichita, Haysville, McConnell Air Force Base, and other parts of south-central Kansas…. Of the more than 50 tornadoes reported that day, 30 were rated an F2 or greater. But the most devastating tornado was the one that hit Andover and south-central Kansas. In south-central Kansas, 19 people died and 298 people were injured in the storms that day. In Andover, 13 people died at the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park, four died in the Greenwich Heights subdivision of southeast Wichita, one died in Cowley County, and another in Elk County. Two people died in tornadoes in Oklahoma.
Source: KSN.

The City of Edgerton and the Hillsdale Watershed Coalition are pleased to announce a new partnership for Spring 2021. All Edgerton residents who help support watershed health by planting native trees and plants, or by constructing rain barrels or rain gardens on their properties will be eligible for free technical assistance from the Miami County Conservation District’s Urban Conservationist. Those who choose to plant native trees are encouraged to apply for a 50 percent reimbursement of up to $75 per tree for up to two trees per household, and all approved native plant gardens, rain barrels, bioswales, and buffer strips are eligible for the same 50 percent reimbursement up to $1000 per project.
Source: Gardner News.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.