1,000 rental scooters will hit Wichita streets in the next couple of weeks

Rental electric scooters are about to make their debut on Wichita streets in a big way about a week from now

Two companies have applied for city permission to deploy 500 e-scooters each on city streets under a pilot program recently authorized by the City Council.

Of the two companies, one is a familiar name in Wichita. Boston-based Zagster already does business here, providing the bicycles you can rent through Bike Share ICT.

The other company is a newcomer to the Wichita rental mobility market, the Chicago-based VeoRide.

(Read more: Local News |)

2019-07-01T10:09:36-05:00June 30, 2019|News|

DWAGFYS Manuf, Inc. vs. City of Topeka

From the Court syllabus:

1. A city may adopt ordinary ordinances when no state law exists on the subject or when a uniform law applicable to all cities exists on the subject but the Legislature has not expressed a clear intent to preempt the field and there is no conflict between the state and local law.

2. Legislative intent to preempt the field must be clearly manifested on the face of the statute. Courts will not find legislative preemption by implication.

3. The provisions of K.S.A. 79-3301 et seq., do not show a clear manifestation of intent by the Legislature to prohibit cities from enacting ordinances on the same subject.

4. When the Legislature has enacted a statute without preempting cities from acting in the same area, the ordinance will stand as long as the ordinance does not conflict with the statute.

5. In order for an actual conflict to exist, the state statute must expressly authorize what the ordinance prohibits, or expressly prohibit what the ordinance authorizes.

6. Ordinance No. 20099 does not conflict with K.S.A. 79-3301 et seq., because it does not prohibit what the statute expressly authorizes, nor does it expressly authorize what the statute prohibits.

Read the opinion.

2019-06-28T13:41:16-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

County hires new directors for planning, parks and rec

The Shawnee County Commission hired replacements Thursday for two men who spent a combined total of more than 34 years running county departments.

Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook voted 3-0 to appoint Angleton, Texas, deputy city manager Randal S. “Randy” Anderson as Shawnee County planning director at an annual salary of $85,000 to replace Barry Beagle, who resigned last December after 15 years in that job.

They also voted 3-0 to appoint Tim Laurent as parks and recreation director effective Monday at an annual salary of $94,570.06 to replace John Knight, whose last day will be Sunday after more than 19 years as parks and recreation director.

(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)

2019-06-28T10:44:53-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

Kansas Rural Center to host town hall in Emporia

Kansans are invited to attend the upcoming “Kansas Future of Farming & Food” Town Hall from 5:30 – 8 p.m. July 8, at the Bowyer Community Building at 2700 W. U.S. Highway 50.

The town hall, hosted by the Kansas Rural Center, will feature a panel of experts on the food system and farming, climate and energy and rural/urban community needs and how we come together to address these.

Following the panel comments, attendees will have time to respond, ask questions and share their experiences or opinions about the issues addressed to help identify what is needed to advance opportunities in their communities or the region.

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

2019-06-28T10:42:19-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

Flooding issues continue for many Kansans

DERBY, Kan. (KSNW)- Issues continue for many residents in Kansas even weeks after their homes flooded for the first time.

Derby resident, Richard Bartel never thought he’d be working on a do-it-yourself project to keep water out of his home.

“I’m trying to channel the ground water out through this pipe to the fence and all the way back to where I’m draining all the ground water into the back ditch behind our houses,” said Bartel.

Ripped up carpets line the ends of driveways and many residents blame the high water table for their continuing flooding issues.

Bartel said the level of the water table is about three feet higher than his basement floor.

He said his sump pump is cycling every minute and with rain, that speeds up to every 26 seconds.

“You come in and see the sides,” said Bartel. “I’ve actually got two [sump pumps] that are still running. This water will not stop as long as the water table is up.”

 

(Read more: KSN-TV)

2019-06-28T10:40:50-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

County to be named in Fire District No. 1 lawsuit

A hearing in a lawsuit involving Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1 ended Wednesday without a resolution in the case.

District Judge David King ruled that the Leavenworth County Commission should have been named in a petition filed by attorneys for the Delaware and High Prairie townships. King granted a motion to allow the attorneys to amend their petition to include the County Commission.

Attorneys for the two townships filed a petition for a declaratory judgment after Lansing city officials announced their intent to terminate an interlocal agreement that was used to establish Fire District No. 1.

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)

2019-06-28T10:38:13-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

Minutes add up for city PD’s payroll

When the City of Scott City decided to have its employees enter the times when they arrive for work and leave at the end of the day by computer software rather than entering them manually, it was a means of getting a little more accountability.

The city council got that . . . and a little bigger bill.

Police Chief Chris Jurgens attributes the new procedure for clocking in and out as a big reason behind an $8,000 to $11,000 increase in his payroll this year.

(Read more: Scott County Record RSS)

2019-06-28T10:30:43-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

Kingman County to pay cash for jail/LEC project

KINGMAN – After ballots to build a new Kingman County law enforcement center and jail failed in 2013 and 2014, the Kingman County Commission is moving toward a cheaper addition/remodeling alternative that will be financed by cash and won’t require voter approval.

Commissioner Jerry Henning said the commission’s vote on the final plan should occur in mid-July and construction could start in the fall.

“It’s going to be better than we have by a long shot,” Kingman County Sheriff Randy Hill said of the improvements to be financed by a commission-set $5-million spending cap.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

2019-06-28T10:26:27-05:00June 28, 2019|News|

Wind development in Reno and Sumner counties

A 98-turbine wind farm that is to be located between Oxford and Wellington is moving forward after Sumner County officials last month signed an agreement with Wild Winds Energy Project LLC that would give the county upwards of $1 million a year in lieu of taxes.

The project has a lifetime waiver from property taxes because it obtained a conditional use permit for the project from Sumner County in October 2016, months before state law was changed to limit property tax exemptions for such projects to just 10 years.

Without an exemption, Wild Winds Energy Project would have incurred a property tax bill of an estimated $117 million over 30 years, or an average of nearly $4 million per year.

(Read more: Rural Messenger)

2019-06-27T09:28:08-05:00June 27, 2019|News|

Osawatomie to discuss grocery equipment, fireworks Wednesday

City Council members plan to discuss the fate of city-owned grocery store equipment and a proposal to lengthen the number of days fireworks can be purchased and discharged during its 6:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday, June 26, at Memorial Hall.

The council moved the meeting up one day to Wednesday, because the Lights on the Lake parade will take place on what would have been the normal meeting date Thursday, June 27.

Equip-Bid.com, an online auctioneering company, is purchasing the building on Sixth Street that formerly housed Ron’s Country Market, which closed its doors in 2017. The company was to close on the building Monday, June 24, with First Option Bank, City Manager Don Cawby said Monday.

(Read more: The Miami County Republic)

2019-06-27T12:46:43-05:00June 27, 2019|News|
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