Sewer bills going up for Andover residents

29 Monday, January 29

Sewer bills going up for Andover residents

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:45:25-06:00January 29th, 2024|

Starting in February, Andover residents will see their sewer bills increase. The City says they are wrapping up the design phase for the expansion of the wastewater plant. This year Andover will begin the process of upgrading and expanding the facility to address increasing demand and replace and update equipment to meet upcoming regulatory requirements. The rate will increase by $5 to $40 a month for residential customers. Later this year, the Andover City Council will decide on a multi-year billing structure based on the projected costs of the expansion project. Andover’s wastewater facility was first constructed in 1977 and underwent upgrades, expansions, and [...]

29 Monday, January 29

City of Galena clarifies when school crossing light is supposed to run

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:43:28-06:00January 29th, 2024|

The Mayor of Galena, KS, Ashely Qualls Groves, addresses the ongoing concern regarding a Galena school traffic lights and the timing of them. "I want to clarify that those are set automatically and although it seems like odd hours, the school has after school programs nightly throughout the school year. Many kids attend these programs and in working with the school personnel, our goal is to provide the utmost safety protocols for our students." According to city officials, they receive a lot of complaints about reckless drivers in the school zones therefore they are working to make the existing protocols safer [...]

29 Monday, January 29

City of Fort Scott addresses foam seen on local river

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:41:49-06:00January 29th, 2024|

The City of Fort Scott addresses complaints regarding foam accumulation being seen in the river at Gunn Park. The following is from the City of Fort Scott Facebook post: "The foam that is being seen in the river at Gunn Park is caused by the amount of phosphorus in the water and is not harmful to our water supply. It is caused by the change of weather we have had over the last week (thank God for the rain). The Dam in Gunn Park is before the City of Fort Scott's River Intake system so the water will be treated with [...]

29 Monday, January 29

Agriculture built these High Plains towns. Now, it might run them dry

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:38:26-06:00January 29th, 2024|

Brownie Wilson pulls off a remote dirt road right through a steep ditch and onto a farmer’s field. He hops out of his white Silverado pickup, mud covering nearly all of it except the Kansas Geological Survey logo stuck on the side with electrical tape. Dry cornstalks crunch under his work boots as he makes his way to a decommissioned irrigation well. He unspools a steel highway tape measure a few feet at a time and feeds it into the well until gravity takes over. He keeps a thumb on it to control the speed. How much of the tape comes out wet lets [...]

29 Monday, January 29

Here’s where Sedgwick County plans to build a 50-bed psychiatric hospital

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:33:56-06:00January 29th, 2024|

Construction of a 50-bed psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of southwest Wichita could be completed by 2026. The Sedgwick County Commission voted unanimously Friday to acquire 11 donated acres at the northwest corner of MacArthur and Meridian for the project. The land is being donated by real estate broker and investor Jeff Lange, who has been developing plans for a 70-acre behavioral health complex at the site for the last four years. Lange Realty is Sedgwick County’s on-call real estate agent. “I’m excited this day is here,” Commissioner David Dennis said. “A lot of people came together for this today so [...]

29 Monday, January 29

‘Stealing from the kids’: Reward offered for recovery of Jackie Robinson statue

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:32:23-06:00January 29th, 2024|

The hunt to find a bronze Jackie Robinson statue and the thieves who stole it from McAdams Park is ramping up. The Wichita Metro Crime Commission and League 42 are offering up to $2,500 for any tip that leads to an arrest, and an additional $5,000 if the statue is recovered. “Our city wants the statue returned. We also want the individuals who robbed our community of a treasure to be held accountable for their actions, and I assure you they will,” Police Chief Joe Sullivan said at a Friday afternoon press conference. One key element of the investigation has been [...]

29 Monday, January 29

Newest Council Member Brings Grant Writing Experience, Passion To Bentley City Council

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:29:32-06:00January 29th, 2024|

A few years ago, Jeff Witherspoon experienced a couple of shootings within a few blocks of their house, so after living in Wichita all his life, Witherspoon and his wife, Rhonda, moved to Bentley. They were already tired of the crime and traffic. So Witherspoon used UbuildIt to build his house and said he chose Bentley, because his biggest challenge in relocating was finding land, and Bentley offered him an affordable lot. Now retired, Witherspoon spent 25 years with Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a nonprofit company, helping people with financial issues. His degrees from Wichita State University include business management and [...]

29 Monday, January 29

Friends on the Farm gives students a glimpse of agriculture

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:26:35-06:00January 29th, 2024|

Area fourth graders attended the 25th annual Friends at the Farm event Thursday at the Finney County Fairgrounds. Carol Deaver, Finney County Farm Bureau Board president, said about 775 fourth grade students attended the event this year from Finney, Gray, Haskell and Kearny Counties. At their first event 25 years ago, they only had 250 students attend, Deaver said. It’s grown considerably since then. Deaver said the goal of the event is to inform students about what happens on farms and ranches in Finney County and southwestern Kansas and how many of the things they use daily originate on a farm or ranch. “Whether a [...]

29 Monday, January 29

LCECC to bring 911derWoman Academy to Emporia next month

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:18:32-06:00January 29th, 2024|

The Lyon County Emergency Communications Center will present the 911derWoman Academy: Finding Your Career in 911, from Feb. 6 - 7 at the Anderson Building. 911derWoman Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit started by Sara Weston after the death of her close friend that began as an online support group. The membership of 911derWoman across the world has grown from a group of 100, to over 15,000 women on social media. 911derWoman now not only has a large presence online, but has grown its mission to include educational offerings that are both virtual and in person. According to a written release, the two-day academy [...]

29 Monday, January 29

Broadband Acceleration Grant makes $10M available

Chloe Henderson2024-01-29T11:15:42-06:00January 29th, 2024|

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $10 million is available to enhance broadband infrastructure statewide through the Broadband Acceleration Grant program. Grants funded through this program are designed to offset the capital expenses needed to deploy in unserved areas. In its fourth year through the bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), the Broadband Acceleration Grant program aims to provide high-quality, reliable broadband access throughout the state, prioritizing unserved areas, economically distressed communities, and areas of compelling need. “Empowering communities through broadband infrastructure buildout allows Kansas to lean into our innovative spirit as we grow businesses, keep talent here, and [...]