Gov. Laura Kelly cements rural focus

Gov. Laura Kelly was in Humboldt Thursday morning to tour the Monarch Cement plant and learn its history. The extensive outing included seeing the plant’s massive rotary kilns, its sophisticated control room and towering silos. Kelly said, “It’s companies like Monarch that are the bedrock, literally, of our state, along with agriculture.” Not content with the status quo, Kelly said, “We’re working ferociously to grow our economy here in the state of Kansas,” adding, “Last year we set a record for new capital investments in the state. Over $2.5 billion.” Kelly said she was “very, very impressed” with her tour of the plant, and in Monarch’s “adaptations over the years.” “It looks state-of-the-art,” she said, “even though you’ve been around for over 100 years.”
Source: The Iola Register

2021-04-19T07:16:24-05:00April 19, 2021|News|

Homeless population in Wichita expected to grow

The after-shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has some in Wichita preparing for an increase in homelessness. Humankind Ministries said this year the number of people staying at their shelters is lower than expected. They believe this is because apartments are not allowed to evict people who aren’t paying their rent, but come May, they said that will change. “I do believe we haven’t felt the full effect of the pandemic and the impact it will have for those in poverty,” said Christen Sampamurtgy, the director of program and compliance with Humankind Ministries. The trickle down of the COVID-19 Pandemic has many community organizations concerned. “People are staying in shelters longer because they have less access to jobs,” said Dr. Sanders.
Source: KSN-TV

2021-04-19T07:15:07-05:00April 19, 2021|News|

Hard Rock Hotel site in Edwardsville sits shovel-ready as it awaits financing

A Minnesota developer is not backing down from plans to build a $74 million Hard Rock Hotel in Edwardsville, even as its prominent site has sat untouched for more than a year and its lender failed to disperse contractually agreed-upon funds. Although One10 Hotel HRKC LLC has no specific timeline, the builder is working to finance the hotel southeast of Interstate 70 and 110th Street, said John M. Edgar, an attorney with Edgar Law Firm LLC representing the developer.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

2021-04-19T07:13:48-05:00April 19, 2021|News|

Abilene attractions planned for May

After a year of canceled and curtailed events, Abilene is as open as the Wild West it evokes as part of its history. Almost all of its tourist attractions will celebrate the unofficial start of the town’s tourist season May 1. The one notable exception is the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, which will remain closed to visitors. Because it is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Eisenhower Library is subject to federal guidelines for reopening, as are all presidential libraries. But for the rest of the town and Dickinson County, face masks are discretionary, not mandated, and there is no limit on the number of people who gather.
Source: Salina Journal.

2021-04-18T22:20:38-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Governor Laura Kelly Signs Bipartisan Legislation to Aid Kansas’s Economic Recovery

Governor Laura Kelly signed four bipartisan bills into law to drive economic growth and strengthen Kansas’ economy. Senate Bills 65, 66, 90, and 124 are part of Governor Kelly’s Growth Agenda, a multifaceted legislative approach to improving Kansas’ ability to attract major businesses and strengthen our economy in accordance with the Framework for Growth strategic plan.
Each bill strengthens a specific area of Kansas economic development:
…
SB 90 – This bill significantly expands the types of projects allowed in Kansas Rural Housing Incentive Districts (RHID) and enables the renovation into residential use (including vertical construction) of buildings and structures more than 25 years old on Kansas main streets and downtown districts. Any city with a population of less than 60,000 will be eligible for this program, regardless of county population. This program is essential in addressing housing shortages in rural Kansas in particular.
SB 124 – The STAR Bonds program in Kansas has been continued with major updates. This legislation establishes third-party feasibility studies to be engaged by Commerce, community engagement summary requirements, and other transparency measures. Updates also include measures to increase use of the program in rural areas. Finally, the program can now be used as a tool to recruit headquarters and major business facilities with the potential to attract sizable out-of-state visitation.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce » Press Releases Category Feed

2021-04-16T08:33:28-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Emporia commission seeks to minimize risk in Rural Housing Incentive District policy

The Emporia City Commission discussed updates to its Rural Housing Incentive District policy for a third time on Wednesday, focusing mostly on mitigating risk to the city. Special projects coordinator Jim Witt took the commission through the proposed changes to the policy with the intention to vote on adopting the policy during next week’s action session. Commissioner Jon Geitz supports the policy but expressed concern regarding how to protect the city’s investment in infrastructure in the event that a developers’ project failed. “The taxpayers are the ones with the most at risk and the least to gain and the developer and the homeowners have the most to gain and the least to risk,” he said. He pointed out that the land costs — which the developer pays — are “a fraction of” the infrastructure costs — which the city pays. Therefore, he proposed that language be included in the policy that states that the city and the developer will be reimbursed proportionally with the RHID funds. Mayor Rob Gilligan said that in Dodge City’s policy, the city would collect three years’ worth of RHID funds to service its debts before it reimbursed the developers.
Source: Emporia Gazette

2021-04-16T08:31:26-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Johnson County considers changing strategy and ending mass vaccination clinics

The Johnson County Health Department is considering a change in tactics to get more COVID-19 vaccinations into arms. Health leaders in the county said about 20% of the entire population are vaccinated. If you look at only those age 16 and up who live in the county and are eligible for the vaccine, the percentage jumps to about 25%. “We are not where we need to be,” Dr. Sanmi Areola, Director of the Johnson County Health Department, said.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

2021-04-16T08:29:53-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Lawrence pauses improvements to site of Santa Fe depot after potentially historic brickwork uncovered

Improvements at the Santa Fe depot have recently been put on hold after the city’s contractor discovered a brick surface beneath the existing gravel parking lot. The 1950s-era train station is an example of midcentury modern architecture, and the station is on the National Register of Historic Places. A Kansas Department of Transportation grant, which the city was awarded in 2013, funded 80% of an approximately $2 million project to rehabilitate the depot.
Source: LJWorld.com.

2021-04-16T08:09:05-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Strong demand for municipal bonds continues

“The muni market is on fire,” Ashton Goodfield, head of municipal bonds at DWS, said on Thursday, noting that tax-exempt valuations versus taxable alternatives have been holding near record lows. Goodfield said investors have built cash balances over the last year as demand for income was high and interest paid on cash investment was near zero. In addition, other supporting factors are the high credit quality nature of the muni market, recently buffeted by fiscal support, as well as the demand for tax-exempt income at the same time the notion that tax rates for wealthy individuals could increase during the current administration. There seems to be no end in sight to the healthy demand for municipal bonds in the primary market as evidenced by recent and new fund flows, agreed a New York manager of underwriting and trading.
Source: Bond Buyer.

2021-04-16T08:06:44-05:00April 16, 2021|News|

Kansas Supreme Court issues new rules for residents suing over COVID-19 restrictions

The Kansas Supreme Court earlier this week issued administrative rules for Kansans who want to sue over a COVID-19 order under newly passed law Senate Bill 40. The new emergency rules took into account that some may not be represented by an attorney, a news release said. But those who fail to follow the rules in requesting a court hearing shouldn’t be rejected and be given opportunity to comply. SB 40 lets any person who is aggrieved by a COVID-19 order or restriction to bring to court a request to get relief from the order. Such a hearing would have to be held within 72 hours and a decision be made within a week after that. In cases like this, the government would have to prove the high standard that the order was narrowly tailored and was the least restrictive means; otherwise, relief is granted.
Source: CJonline.com.

2021-04-16T07:13:21-05:00April 16, 2021|News|
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