Stump design chosen as North Newton flag winner

Blayne Stump of North Newton is the winner of the North Newton city flag contest with his sunflower design. The five finalists and winner were announced during the regular Monday night meeting of the North Newton City Council. Representatives from Conrade Insurance were there to hand Stump a $500 check. “Pretty crazy,” Stump said about winning. “I didn’t expect to win. I was excited to make a submission. I spent a lot of time making different designs.” The other four finalists were Byron Ediger, Elise McGinnis, Glen Ediger and Oscar Gonzalez. “I had a lot of fun designing this,” Stump said. “I spent a lot of time drawing out different designs on sticky notes and scratch paper. Finally, I enlisted the help of Oscar Gonzalez to digitalize my ideas and try out different color palletes. I am grateful for his help and to contribute an idea for the community. I only hope that all residents of North Newton can enjoy this flag and be proud as I am to live in such a beautiful community.” In making his design, Stump was inspired by the State of Kansas and the historical development of the prairie.
Source: Harvey County Now

info2024-10-21T09:43:29-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Opposition to sales tax hike noted at public hearing

Local business owners expressed their opposition to increasing the county’s current sales tax rate during a special Jackson County Commission meeting last week. At the revenue neutral rate hearing for the county budget in August, some taxpayers asked about the possibility of increasing the sales tax in the county to offset a mill rate increase. About 50 people attended a special evening meeting on Sept. 30 to share their input on increasing the current sales tax in the county. The meeting lasted an hour and 45 minutes. Jackson County currently has a 1.4 percent sales tax rate, which includes a special .4 percent sales tax for road and bridge improvements and for each of the county’s cities. The state of Kansas has a 6.5 percent sales tax rate. In addition to county and state sales tax, the city of Holton has a .75 percent sales tax and the city of Mayetta has a 1.5 percent sales tax rate.
Source: Holton Recorder

info2024-10-21T09:41:45-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Olathe OKs $350M in incentives for latest phase of Coca-Cola bottling plant

Olathe has signed off on $350 million in incentives for the next phase of the Heartland Coca-Cola bottling plant campus on the city’s southern edge. Earlier this week, the Olathe City Council unanimously voted to issue the industrial revenue bonds, which are also tied to a 10-year, 55% property tax abatement, to the development near 167th Street and Hedge Lane.
Source: Johnson County Post

info2024-10-21T09:39:58-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Olathe paves way for bigger animal shelter to replace ‘woefully outdated’ one

Olathe has picked a home for its replacement animal shelter and animal control facility. On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council took two votes to start the process of acquiring property near Santa Fe Street and Ridgeview Road. Both actions passed 8-1, with Councilmember Kevin Gilmore in dissent. He did not publicly explain his “no” votes.
Source: Johnson County Post

info2024-10-21T09:38:52-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Hays, Russell sue Edwards County over efforts to block water transfer project

Two western Kansas towns are accusing a neighboring county of interfering with their efforts to pipe in water for their residents to battle frequent drought and contamination. The cities of Hays and Russell last week filed a lawsuit against Edwards County over zoning regulations they argue target their plan to draw groundwater from the R9 Ranch in Edwards County to supplement their municipal water supplies. Hays and Russell’s lawsuit says their current supplies are “highly susceptible to drought and contamination” and calls their plan to pipe water from the ranch one of “existential importance.” According to the lawsuit, Edwards County has opposed the R9 Ranch project from the outset.
Source: Kansas Reflector

info2024-10-21T09:37:13-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Edwardsville needs new city buildings. Why officials say added tax won’t burden residents

About 10 years ago, the city of Edwardsville bought its police station for $1. Meant as a temporary solution, the station has seen investments over the years well beyond that face value. Now, the building — more accurately a series of trailers bolted together, standing on cinder blocks about 200 feet from City Hall — is one of three major pieces of public infrastructure that Edwardsville officials hope to rebuild. And they’re asking residents to establish a 1% local sales tax to pay for it. “It’s not an initiative of want. The bottom line here is that the conditions within these facilities are deplorable. They’re intolerable to our employees, and at some point we have to do something,” Edwardsville City Manager Mark Mathies said.
Source: KC Star Local News

info2024-10-21T09:35:03-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Emerald Ash borer continues to spread in Kansas

The emerald ash borer continues to spread in Kansas. The pest, which has already killed hundreds of millions of Ash trees across the U.S. and Canada, has now spread to 15 Kansas counties. The latest sighting was confirmed this week in Nemaha County by the Kansas Forest Service, working with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension Office. The emerald ash borer had been suspected to be in the county for some time. However, according to Kansas State, this is the first time a live insect was found to definitely confirm it. This is the second county with a confirmed sighting this year. The insect was discovered earlier this year in Lyon County.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-10-21T09:33:04-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

McPherson’s Pfizer plant lays off 80 people

The Pfizer plant in McPherson laid off 80 people, KSN News confirmed on Thursday. Those impacted included professional/salaried employees, and production was not impacted. Tucky Allen, Kansas WorkforceONE, says there will be a meeting next week for those impacted. The statement explains the layoffs are based on projected product demands. They are being carried out as Pfizer makes operations more efficient at the McPherson plant. The McPherson plant manufactures sterile injectable medicines used in hospitals worldwide. The company employs around 1,800 people.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-10-21T09:31:52-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

How these Kansas towns got their unique names

In terms of size, Kansas is 81,823 sq miles, larger than 37 other states, including most of its neighbors, with the exception of Colorado. Data from the Census Bureau shows there are 671 incorporated and unincorporated communities in Kansas where people live. Many of these communities have names associated with their founders or historical figures, such as Ulysses or Lincoln. Others have names of Native American or even French origin, like Kiowa or La Cygne. Still others are named after other towns and cities where their pioneer founders were originally from. Below is a list of some Kansas communities with some interesting or unexpected name origins. Please note that this list does not include any of the numerous ghost towns that exist across Kansas, although many of them, like the Butler County town of Bois d’Arc, also have unique names and interesting stories behind them.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-10-21T09:30:07-05:00October 21, 2024|News|

Cities in Kansas competing for Tank of the Year

Eleven cities in Kansas are competing for the 2024 Tank of the Year. Tnemec Co. Inc., a commercial and industrial paint company, is hosting the competition with participating cities in the USA and Canada. A two-week voting window for the People’s Choice of water tank is currently open. The public vote will close on Oct. 18, and the Tank of the Year announcement is planned for Oct. 25. Last year’s winner was featured in Tnemec’s 2024 water tank calendar. A Tnemec committee of water tank enthusiasts will select the other 11 finalists.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-10-21T09:28:13-05:00October 21, 2024|News|