Evergy pauses disconnection at Towne West after ‘documentation’ provided

20 Tuesday, June 20

Evergy pauses disconnection at Towne West after ‘documentation’ provided

info2023-06-20T23:46:37-05:00June 20th, 2023|

A spokesperson for Evergy says it has paused service disconnection has been paused Towne West Square in Wichita. A news release sent out by Evergy at 7:41 p.m. says it has "paused service disconnection based on documentation provided toward making payment tomorrow." Evergy says Towne West has been delinquent on its electric bill since last November. "Evergy has worked with Kohan Retail Investment Group, which owns the mall, to receive payment for the past due amount owed to Evergy," Gina Penzig, Evergy corporate communications, said. Source: KSN-TV

20 Tuesday, June 20

Summer Topeka Music Week brings country and rock to the Capital City

info2023-06-20T23:45:38-05:00June 20th, 2023|

Topeka is set to be flooded with musical acts with the arrival of almost a dozen bands to the Capital City this summer. India Yarborough with the Greater Topeka Partnership said Visit Topeka is partnering up with Southwest Publishing & Mailing Corporation to deliver a lineup of ten bands to the Capital City in July as part of the Topeka Music Week. The bands will have live shows running from July 7 to July 16, occurring at the same time as Country Stampede and the Mini Fiesta. Source: KSNT 27 News

20 Tuesday, June 20

Shawnee Mission teachers get larger-than-usual pay bump

info2023-06-20T23:44:32-05:00June 20th, 2023|

Teachers in the Shawnee Mission School District are getting one of their biggest pay raises in recent years. It’s part of the latest contract between the district and teachers’ union, which was ratified by the Shawnee Mission school board at its meeting Monday, June 12. It’s also a continuation of efforts by the district to boost pay for positions across the district to deal with persistent staffing challenges that have bedeviled schools in recent years. Source: Prairie Village Post

20 Tuesday, June 20

Wichita aviation companies win millions in workforce development grants

info2023-06-20T23:43:10-05:00June 20th, 2023|

Four Wichita aviation manufacturers, as well as the Wichita Airport Authority, have been awarded millions in grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce to support their training and workforce development efforts. In total, Commerce says it awarded nearly $20 million to seven recipients through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program, with the goal of supporting capital projects that spur regional economic development in the aviation industry as it continues post-Covid recovery. Source: Wichita Business Journal

20 Tuesday, June 20

Roofs going up in Newton

info2023-06-20T07:25:21-05:00June 20th, 2023|

With a half-year to go, 2023 has already seen more new housing starts in Newton than nine of the 11 last years. Year-to-date, the city has seen permits pulled for 34 living units. That puts the city well on pace to surpass last year’s total of 37 starts. According to City Engineer Suzanne Loomis, 20 of those starts involve single-family homes. ... The number of housing starts for 2023 follows up on 2022’s 37 housing starts. In 2017, the city added 116 units, driven by the construction of apartment complexes on the south side of the city. Source: Harvey County Now

20 Tuesday, June 20

Kansas firefighters receive $16.8 million from Kansas Insurance Department

info2023-06-20T09:57:54-05:00June 20th, 2023|

The Kansas Insurance Department has made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs). Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, over $16.8 million has been distributed among 554 local FRAs throughout the state. Kansas Insurance Dept. Commissioner Vicki Schmidt said in a press release, “Firefighters put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges that by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones. The Act not only gives first responders needed safety nets, but it also allows local communities to provide their citizens with improved firefighting equipment and resources.” [...]

20 Tuesday, June 20

Funding available to power clean energy in rural communities

info2023-06-20T00:47:33-05:00June 20th, 2023|

Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects offer a significant opportunity to revitalize rural communities and diversify the local economy. Increased tax revenue from renewable energy projects enables school districts, cities, and other entities to address local emergency services and infrastructure improvement needs while reducing the local tax burden. Additionally, farmers and landowners can earn additional income through land-lease payments from project developers, and new job opportunities arise during the development, construction, and operation of a project. Those economic benefits have not gone unnoticed in Washington, D.C. Source: Pratt Tribune

19 Monday, June 19

Vogts Parga moving to Moundridge

info2023-06-19T10:41:13-05:00June 19th, 2023|

Vogts Parga will be moving its office from downtown Newton to Moundridge. Rene Parga, owner, said the decision was based on the opportunity to put the office next to the company’s shop. “I hate to leave, but we have a better chance to have everything together,” he said. The company recently purchased buildings along I-135 highway and Highway 260 (Arrowhead Road) in Moundridge. A notice on the company’s website said the property will allow space to provide room for future growth. Parga said the company rented the Newton office and will be out of it by the end of 2023. Source: Harvey [...]

19 Monday, June 19

Sedgwick County plans to build a new emergency preparedness center

info2023-06-20T07:24:09-05:00June 19th, 2023|

Sedgwick County is buying land to build a new emergency preparedness center in southwest Wichita. Construction of the roughly 27,000-square-foot facility is expected to cost around $16 million. A federal grant the county plans to apply for could finance 70% of the project. The county commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Friday to purchase 4.9 acres at the southwest corner of MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue for $613,934. The county expects to close on the property next week. The site at MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue that Sedgwick County will purchase to construct a new Emergency Preparedness Center. [...]

19 Monday, June 19

Stan Herds earthwork revering John Brown to be unveiled Saturday in Osawatomie

info2023-06-20T07:23:54-05:00June 19th, 2023|

Lawrence artist Stan Herd has created an earthwork portrait of Kansas abolitionist John Brown for the City of Osawatomie. The first-of-its-kind tribute to Brown is set to be unveiled on Saturday. The land artwork is located at John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie. The city in April announced the new partnership with Herd in an “effort to highlight the city’s critical role in pre-Civil War American history” and “transition the currently-state maintained historic site into a national park and museum, much akin to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia,” according to a news release. Source: The Lawrence Times