For nearly 70 years people in the Morrowville community could run downtown to the grocery store to buy everything from fresh cut meat to dry goods. Beer, fresh doughnuts, infant formula and home grocery delivery were available in later years. But times changed, and like many other rural areas, the community got smaller and older. Morrowville’s only grocery store closed in the late 1980s.
Source: Washington County News.
Both Washington County and the City of Washington have snow policies that are used to guide the plowing of snow and the application of salt and sand. Those policies didn’t work well with last week’s rain-sleet-snow mix, according to those who administer the policies, inpart because of the cold that followed.
Justin Novak, who is Washington County’s Road and Bridge supervisor, said a salt-sand mix is often applied to hard-surface (blacktop) roads ahead of winter storms. Sand-only is applied to concrete surfaces including Washington’s new B Street.
No salt is applied to gravel roads, though, Novak said, because too much salt on gravel creates an unstable base, which leads to mudholes.
Source: Washington County News.
He was nervous about returning to the courthouse following Sunday’s earthquake, based on the severity of the event and the damage done by a similar quake in August.
Reno County Maintenance Director Harlan Depew, however, said the quake – rated a magnitude 4.6 by the Kansas Geological Survey – appeared to have had little new impact on the 90-year-old building.
“There are a few items still being evaluated, to figure out the extent of it,” Depew said, such as the main courthouse elevator now out of service because counterweights in the elevator “jumped the track.”
“It took significant movement to cause that to happen,” Depew said.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
The Hutchinson City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to contribute $50,000 toward converting a New Beginnings Inc.-owned building into a social detox and inpatient treatment center for people with addictions. New Beginnings will ask for a matching $50,000 from Reno County during the Feb. 4 Reno County Commission meeting.The Hutchinson-based social services housing agency needs approximately $200,000 to improve Meadowlark Commons…
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson 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 Advisors.
Voters will decide whether Blue Valley schools can issue $186 million in bonds to tighten security throughout the district and build a new elementary school — with no tax increase.
Residents of the south Johnson County district should have received mail-in ballots, which are due by noon Jan. 28. If approved, the funds will also allow the district to improve aging facilities and add classrooms to keep up with growing enrollment, said incoming superintendent Tonya Merrigan.
“If this bond were to not pass, we wouldn’t be able to do many of these things,” said Merrigan, who will take over as district superintendent in July, replacing retiring Superintendent Todd White. “There aren’t other sources of money for us to fix our buildings, so this is a crucial time for us to make sure we invest in buildings and infrastructure to provide the best education to our students.”
Read more: KC Star.
Driving on a busy four-lane intersection in Overland Park a couple of weeks ago, Rebecca Crowder noticed a woman wrapped up in a wool poncho and scarf, pushing a walker through inches of snow and slush on the sidewalk.
It wasn’t the first time Crowder had stopped her car to make sure an elderly or disabled resident walking on icy, snow-covered sidewalks could make it to the bus stop or home safely. Last winter, she remembers seeing a man using a wheelchair, trying to navigate down 95th Street without a clear path.
“That upset me a lot,” said Crowder, an Overland Park resident. “I was like, I have to do something about this. It just upsets me. I’m frustrated that we don’t do better.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
When they met Wednesday, Leavenworth County commissioners approved a new agreement to govern the operation of the Leavenworth County Port Authority.
The agreement now will need approval from the Leavenworth City Commission before it can go into effect.
The city and county governments were the parties to a 1969 agreement that established the Port Authority, which is an economic development organization.
“The agreement remains unchanged since 1969,” Senior County Counselor David Van Parys.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)
Manhattan city officials took part in the annual Flint Hills Leaders Retreat, held in Olathe last weekend.
The event featured a variety of speakers touching on key economic issues facing Kansas, including migration to the state and employment growth. The state ranks near the bottom in both categories. Kansas Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Patty Clark provided statistics on these categories during Friday’s meeting.
On KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday, Mayor Usha Reddi said hearing Clark speak to these issues caused her to reflect, noting that in order to recruit and retain businesses, the state needs to build its workforce.
(Read more: 1350 KMAN)
Hutchinson city manager John Deardoff has about 10 weeks remaining on the job, and “front and center” as he wraps up work is a hotel/convention center — or rather lack of one — in Hutchinson.
The Atrium Hotel and Conference Center, 1400 N. Lorraine St., closed its doors Dec. 20. Deardoff learned of the closing from the media, but it was “underperforming for years,” he said, so the closing was not a complete surprise.
The shutdown occurred, however, before a clear strategy had emerged from City Hall for an alternative hotel/convention center.
“This is really frustrating for me,” Deardoff said in Wednesday’s State of the City comments, as he recounted the lack of enthusiasm from private developers and the slow progress in talks about a solution.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
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