New Newton public library building scheduled to open in July of 2024

31 Monday, July 31

New Newton public library building scheduled to open in July of 2024

info2023-07-31T08:34:38-05:00July 31st, 2023|

At this time next year, Newton will have a brand new library up and functioning, according to an estimate by Director of Public Works and City Engineer Suzanne Loomis. “The entire project is anticipated to be complete by approximately July of 2024,” Loomis said. “Construction is coming along nicely.” She added that possible delays could occur due to supply chain shortages for equipment and building materials, but she and her team remain hopeful that the project will remain on schedule. Source: Harvey County Now

31 Monday, July 31

Police address concerns amid Wichita’s deadliest month in at least five years

info2023-07-31T08:33:14-05:00July 31st, 2023|

Amid the city’s deadliest month in at least five years, Wichita police and elected officials are trying to ease concerns about the rise in violent crime. Police have also provided some more details about recent homicides and provided a breakdown about what some of them involved. There have been 11 homicides in July, making it the deadliest month since at least 2018. In 2020, which set a record for the year with 59 homicides, the number each month did not exceed six. There have been 28 homicides so far this year, with 16 of those, or 57%, coming since June 10. [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Jail meetings with cities continue

info2023-07-31T08:31:41-05:00July 31st, 2023|

Marshall County commissioners are meeting with city councils in the county, asking them to approve interlocal agreements that would turn proceeds of up to a half cent sales tax designated for a new jail back to the county. By law, any countywide sales tax is shared with all cities in the county unless an interlocal agreement is signed that allows the county to retain the sales tax revenue. Commissioners are looking at a sales tax to fund a portion of a new jail. A proposal to enter a lease-purchase agreement not to exceed $6.5 million in principal to finance a portion [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Johnson County city debates McMansions vs. more affordable options

info2023-07-31T08:30:32-05:00July 31st, 2023|

Officials have debated adjusting laws to pave the way for duplexes, small apartment buildings and other cheaper options for families struggling to buy a home in the city known for Cape Cod houses torn down to make way for McMansions. But the idea has ignited fierce opposition from residents who argue the city of 23,000 people is already built out and too dense to welcome the multi-unit housing they fear would crowd the tree-lined suburb and take away its neighborhood feel. Red “Stop Rezoning” signs have been cropping up in front yards across the city, where average home prices topped $536,000 [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Documentarian sets sights on legacy of Iola’s Municipal Band

info2023-07-31T08:27:31-05:00July 31st, 2023|

At 152 years old, the Iola Municipal Band is the longest continuing municipal band in the state, and remains one of the oldest in the nation. A PBS producer is working on a documentary about the band’s legacy. The Iola Municipal Band, which has been a part of Iola’s summers for the past 152 years, ended its summer session Thursday with a celebration of Christmas. The band, with musicians ranging from middle school to players in their 80s, performed a medley of holiday classics to bid adieu to 2023. Source: The Iola Register

31 Monday, July 31

Precious Metals Company Discovers Ideal Location in Rural Kansas

info2023-07-31T00:55:24-05:00July 31st, 2023|

US Assets Recovery (USAR), a company specializing in precious metal recovery, refining and fabrication, is flourishing. In choosing a new location to grow, the Joplin, Mo.-based company recently looked to Kansas. Floyd Langley, chief financial officer for USAR, credited the work of the Kansas Department of Commerce for its part in bringing the company to Kansas — and specifically Galena, which the USAR team knew well before the company announced plans in 2022 for a new facility in the rural, southeast Kansas community. USAR’s relationship with Galena was forged in the wake of a devastating tornado in 2011 in Joplin. While [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Pottawatomie County ballot to again include sales tax question for infrastructure projects

info2023-07-31T00:52:15-05:00July 31st, 2023|

It’s election season, and residents of Pottawatomie County can expect to see a new, but familiar, question on this year’s ballot. Earlier this month, County Commissioners voted to include a quarter-percent sales tax to fund road and bridge improvements. Commissioner Greg Riat joined KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday, where he explained there are various projects around the county that this tax would help support. Riat also wants residents to understand that this increase would be temporary. Source: 1350 KMAN

31 Monday, July 31

Derby pushes forward with compensation adjustments

info2023-07-31T08:21:59-05:00July 31st, 2023|

Due to increased turnover and a lack of applicants, the city began to look at some significant pay changes at the start of the year, with the Derby City Council approving a total compensation study to address the issues. The council heard recommendations tied to that study at its July 25 meeting and directed staff to begin pay/benefit adjustments for city employees as presented at a total cost of $1,265,527 – to be split over two years in 2024 and 2025. With 33% of new hires leaving within one year of employment, the compensation study was seen as imperative ... Source: [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Derby addresses water service transfer for future developments

info2023-07-31T08:22:35-05:00July 31st, 2023|

With Derby’s continued development – especially residentially – the city has run into consistent issues in regards to the transfer of water service territory, most often with Sedgwick County Rural Water District 3 (RWD3). To help alleviate some of the common challenges, City Manager Kiel Mangus brought forward a universal water service territory transfer agreement for the Derby City Council to consider at its July 25 meeting. RWD3 had previously approved the agreement at a July 11 meeting, and the Derby City Council followed suit. Mangus reported that staff has been working toward such an agreement since he has been with [...]

31 Monday, July 31

Kansas regulators issue cease and desist to landfill beset by complaints of fires, stench

info2023-07-31T08:23:31-05:00July 31st, 2023|

Kansas environmental regulators instructed a Leavenworth County landfill already under scrutiny for fires and environmental violations to stop accepting waste until further notice. The landfill’s operator, Shawn Britz, said the facility, which accepts construction and demolition waste, voluntarily closed to new drop-offs two weeks ago to give its workers a break. But in a cease and desist letter, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment detailed a series of attempts to bring the facility, owned by Flat Land Excavating, into compliance before shutting it down for permit violations. “Such violations pose a threat to public health and the environment,” the letter [...]