The Strong City Opera House has been awarded a $90,000 Heritage Trust Fund grant by the Kansas Historical Society, Saturday morning. The funds are a much needed boost for the Strong City Preservation Alliance to continue renovations on the historic building located at the corner of 5th and Cottonwood streets. “It’s been a very emotional day,” said Ross MacTaggart, SCPA member, of the announcement.
Source: Emporia Gazette
While the pandemic is sure to continue altering plans for months to come, local officials say they’re committed to providing as normal — and as entertaining — of a year as possible moving forward. During a brief joint city/county luncheon Wednesday, officials discussed the general impacts COVID-19 has had on the community thus far, with one of the chief among them being the cancellation of numerous popular local events and celebrations. In speaking on the importance of providing residents something to look forward to, Mayor Rob Gilligan encouraged attendees to do everything in their power to promote a return to normalcy.
Source: Emporia Gazette
New Sedgwick County Health order started at midnight last night, just in time for local restaurants to prepare for fans to enjoy the big game in person. KSN talked with bar and restaurant staff this weekend who say they’re excited for some safe social interaction. Staff at The Rusty Nail and Hurricane Bar and Grill say it’s been quite some time since they have been able to host events like these because of the pandemic. So, they are very excited about it. Both locations have sanitized their restaurants several times and say they have enough space for people to watch the game, and still be socially distanced.
Source: KSN-TV
Waiting for vaccine doses — if you have been heading to either of the two Sedgwick county sites providing vaccines you may have had to wait. Friday morning at the drive-thru clinic at the Wichita City Transit Office on 777 E. Waterman, things were running smoothly with very little wait. The night before, however, the lines were longer. The Sedgwick County Health director said one reason for the longer lines is that many people are showing up early.
Source: KSN-TV
Winfield USD 465 is holding a contest to find another Viking logo. The familiar, lushly bearded Viking set sail for colder waters after the district learned that it is the one used by Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D., and has been for years. According to USD 465 Superintendent Nathan Reed, last year he was contacted by an Augustana alumnus irate that USD 465 was using the university’s logo.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler
In July 2019, local businessman and longtime Topekan Kent Lammers sent a letter to Topeka’s mayor and city council asking whether improvements were being planned for the southernmost stretch of S.W. Topeka Boulevard. “With several new and exciting attractions, such as the Heartland Stampede and the downtown Evergy Plaza, is there a plan to address the condition of the South Topeka Boulevard corridor?” he wrote. “As a main gateway to Topeka from Forbes and a major thoroughfare to and from Heartland Park and downtown, the first impression of Topeka when arriving from the south is not good.”
Source: CJonline.com.
There is a new, unique housing project coming to the city of McPherson, put together by the McPherson Housing Coalition over the course of the past several months. The coalition is looking to build several “tiny homes” under the banner of “Oak Harbor Cottages” on the corner of S. Oak and E. Skanke. The 10 homes — about 460 square feet each — will be there to help people get back on their feet after life changes render them homeless or near homeless. It is a response to the phone calls that come in too often — a family sleeping in their car because they have no place to go. The coalition can help, but sometimes there is a struggle and a wait. “We often have no place to put them,” said Chris Goodson, coalition member.
Source: Hutchinson News.
“There is a lot of money on the sidelines going to work on new issues,” a New York municipal manager said. However, a lot of the demand is intermediate and long focused. “It’s still a challenge in the front of the market with the low yields. Once you get to below the 0.20% level you lose retail,” he said. … And rates should not rise anytime soon, as inflation should remain “subdued” this year, although higher than it’s been in a while, according to Ned Davis Research Senior U.S. Economist Veneta Dimitrova. The firm expects inflation to rise about 2.2% this year, despite a “temporary spike” in the spring as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on inflation last spring.
Source: Bond Buyer.
Kansas plans to invest the nearly $85 million the state received in federal coronavirus relief funding for infrastructure programs and services in every county, leaving no part of the state behind, Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday. The governor was joined by Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz at a street paving project in Newton to announce plans for the statewide distribution of the federal COVID-19 relief money. In deciding how to best invest the money it received, the state also decided on an approach that would invest the maximum amount of dollars into the economy in the least amount of time. It also is targeting additional economic opportunities in communities that have been hardest hit during the pandemic, Kelly said.
Source: KAKE – 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.
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