The Frontenac Fire Department bids farewell to Captain Jim McClain, who retires after almost 50 years of service to the community.
Hired in 1974 and promoted to Captain a decade later, McClain’s positive attitude and leadership were hallmarks of his tenure.
Source: KOAM News
Residents in Rossville are seeing an abundance of help from community members to tackle storm damage. Early Wednesday morning, strong winds and heavy rain swept through all of northeast Kansas. Rossville was amongst many areas hit hard with fallen tree limbs and uprooted trees seen throughout the town. Though the town was shaken up, community members rallied together. One resident posted to Facebook showcasing how the high school football team stepped up to help clean storm debris throughout neighborhoods. KSNT 27 News spoke with head football coach of the Rossville Dawgs, Derick Hammes, about his players helping out their community, and he said he’s grateful his players are giving back. “I want them to understand that the community supports them, and when it’s their turn to support back, they’re available to do that,” Hammes said. “We realize that helping one another out is all apart of being in a small community.”
Source: KSNT 27 News
The City of Haysville is seeking information on recent vandalism at numerous park restrooms. The vandalism also left a busy street in the dark.
The City says restrooms have had sinks and plumbing fixtures damaged or stolen. Some of the damage has caused the facilities to be closed until repairs are made. Also, the city says 600 feet of wire was stolen from an underground conduit that powered the antique lights along Meridian. “We always encounter vandalism every summer this year, it seems to be times 10 and happening quite frequently,” said Tony Martinez, the director of public works in Haysville. “We have 15 parks in the town, and i would say probably almost every single park has experienced some type of vandalism over the summer.” Martinez said that it’s going to take some time for the restrooms to get up and running. “Summer’s our busiest time of the year, so our park department doesn’t have time to install these pieces, so we’re now hiring a contractor to install these, which in result means the restrooms are going to be closed a little bit longer to the public and that’s really the downfall,” he said. The City’s goal is to get the restrooms fixed by July 4.
Source: KSN-TV
The second phase of Garden City’s new Airport terminal is complete. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran was in attendance as the ribbon was cut to open the terminal of the new facility. Garden City’s original terminal was constructed in 1959 and no longer met demand. Rachelle Powell, Director of Aviation at the Garden City Regional Airport, said planning to replace the terminal began back in 2017. “With this new terminal project, we’ve doubled our gate capacity from one gate to two, which is huge for southwest Kansas, and also gave amenities to our traveling public such as the passenger boarding bridge and the baggage carousel,” she said. The terminal has updated technology and a new welcome message in multiple languages to serve the diverse population in the region. “We utilize the 26 languages that were spoken in our school district when we were doing the design to welcome folks to our community cause that’s part of our culture in southwest Kansas is making everybody feel welcomed,” said Powell.
Source: KSN-TV
The Kansas Insurance Department announced nearly $19 million will be going to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRA). Of those, Shawnee County will receive nearly $1 million.
On Thursday, June 27 Kansas Insurance Department (KID) Public Affairs Manager Kyle Strathman announced the money would be distributed to 553 different FRAs across the state. The funds come from a 2% tax that is paid by insurance companies on fire and lightning premiums. “Firefighters work to keep us safe, and the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act acknowledges those efforts by providing additional protections for firefighters and their loved ones,” said Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. “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.” Strathman said the funds can be used to pay for health, accident, disability and life insurance premiums of local firefighters. Associations can also use relief funds to purchase new firetrucks, make fire station improvements and purchase firefighter gear.
Source: KSNT 27 News
The City of Topeka will be receiving $25 million dollars from the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) for sidewalk projects. Topeka is receiving funds under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. The project will see 50 miles of sidewalk repair and construction along River Road, Southeast California Avenue and in the Central Highland Park neighborhood. Topeka was one of 148 projects selected by the Biden administration. “This grant in the amount of $25 Million will allow us to do some transformative projects for the City of Topeka.” said Public Works Director Braxton Copley.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp announced Wednesday afternoon that the fire at Park City’s Evergreen Recycle plant is officially under control, although crews will remain on scene for at least another day. Some piles of materials were still smoldering, but there were no more flames as of 3 p.m., county spokesperson Stephanie Birmingham said. Last time the recycling plant caught fire in October 2022, video evidence showed the blaze was a result of mulch and grass spontaneously igniting under wood piles. This time, investigators likely won’t be able to identify a definite cause, Fire Chief Doug Williams told county commissioners Wednesday morning. “It’s going to be one that’s probably going to end up being undetermined. We didn’t have video on this one,” he said. Commissioner David Dennis asked Williams what he expects the bill to be for overtime pay and whether the county should make a claim on the recycling facility’s insurance to cover costs. “One of the problems we get into if we bill for services is, you have to bill everybody,” Williams said. “You can’t just selectively say, ‘Well, this guy really upset us so we’re going to bill him.’ We have to bill everybody. And I think that normally is what causes the failure of these insurances to pay. The first thing they’re going to say is, ‘Well, you didn’t bill the last fire you went to.’”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
Building inspector Bob Walker recommended the change because he believes the city’s previous firewall regulations for townhomes were excessive. A firewall is used to delay the spread of a fire with a prescribed fire resistance duration and independent structural stability. This allows a building to be divided into smaller sections. Previously, the city code listed a two-hour firewall fire resistance rating requirement for common walls in townhomes that are not equipped with automatic sprinkler systems.
Source: Ark Valley News
A new commercial district in Park City broke ground on June 14 at the former Echo Hills Golf Course between 53rd and 61st streets on the west side of I-135. Projects being constructed on the property include a baseball complex, butterfly garden and an aquarium. … One of the largest draws of the new Park City district — a project that could be a national attraction — is the aquarium. The project is being handled by a group called OdySea out of Scottsdale, Arizona. OdySea’s aquarium in Scottsdale opened in 2016. It is the largest aquarium in the southwest United States at 200,000 square feet and houses more than 30,000 animals. The campus of the aquarium includes a boardwalk with a Ferris wheel and a butterfly garden — concepts that will also be included in the Park City project. The aquarium in Park City will be 80,000 square feet with more than 1,500 animals.
Source: Ark Valley News
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