Pittsburg approves purchase of garbage trucks for public trash service

The city of Pittsburg approved the purchase of two garbage trucks for a total of $489,996 to help operate a public trash service. They also approved the purchase of 500 96-gallon poly carts, 50 2-yard dumpsters, and 50 4-yard dumpsters for a total of $97,108. The city is investing in a publicly operated trash service in the wake of issues residents have been having with CARDS Recycling and Waste Management. Officials say the public service will be another option for residents. KOAM will continue following the progress and updates for residents concerning the City’s planned trash service.
Source: KOAM News

info2024-06-26T09:29:56-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

Fire departments speak out against proposed OSHA regulations

First responders like firefighters are known to be in dangerous jobs. But OSHA, the federal agency that set and enforces standards for workplace conditions is hoping to help make those work environments as safe as possible. According to OSHA, the “existing safety and health standards do not adequately protect the emergency response workforce from these hazards.” The federal agency has proposed a set of new regulations that would replace the current fire brigade standard implemented in 1980. “From what I can gather from OSHA is they’re wanting to combine a whole bunch of, like, 22 guidelines into one mandate. Mandate is a little scary,” says Kevin Theilen, Deputy Fire Chief of the Duenweg Fire Department. Fire departments and associations across the country are now speaking out against the proposed standards, including the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Firefighter Association of Missouri. “No one is discounting that there could be room for improved firefighter safety, and the National Fire Protection Association plus other standards are a valuable guide in getting there but not as a club which could and “WILL IN SOME CASES” cripple some departments and potentially close others in low populated areas due to extraordinary budget limitations,” wrote the Firefighter Association of Missouri in a response to the OSHA proposal.
Source: KOAM News

info2024-06-26T09:28:38-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

AGCO downsizing due to weakening demand in agriculture industry

AGCO states they are reducing their salaried workforce by about 6% due to weakening demand in the agriculture industry. The company is not saying what locations are being affected. AGCO is estimating that they will spend $150 million to $200 million, which includes severance payments and employee benefits. They expect that amount to be spent this year and in the first half of 2025. The company said the decision to reduce its workforce is not related to the shift in production to Mexico, which was announced earlier in June. “Hesston will continue to manufacture Massey Ferguson windrowers, large square balers, combines and combine headers using the more than $28 million in investments made in the Kansas facility since 2021,” said AGCO in a statement to KSN. “Those investments have focused on updating and modernizing Hesston’s systems and equipment. By streamlining the Hesston portfolio, our goal is to secure a profitable future for the plant.”
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-06-26T09:25:54-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

A Mammoth mitigation plan

Killing two birds with one stone. This was the idea behind Mammoth Sports Construction’s presentation at Monday evening’s joint meeting of the Iola City Council and school board. Riverside Park poses flooding issues for the city and USD 257 has a need for ballfields that can still be utilized following heavy rains. The solution? Synthetic turf fields, bigger holding ponds and larger pumps to mitigate and redirect flood waters, according to Mammoth. The scope of the $3.733 million project includes an artificial turf softball, baseball, and football field that will help store flood waters during a major storm event. The fields would operate as water detention areas from which water would be redirected north of the football field and west to a detention pond in a picnic area. From these locations, the water would then be pumped beyond the park’s levee to the north and west. The fields would include layers of sand and rock, with trenches. In times of heavy rains, the runoff would be stored in a perimeter drain that reroutes the water to a holding pond.
Source: The Iola Register

info2024-06-26T09:24:15-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

SE Kansas under drought watch, Galena enacts emergency measures

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly put all of Southeast Kansas under a “drought watch” on Monday. A water drought emergency ordinance continues in Galena. It came from the state through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and required the city to establish three stages of water conservation measures in case of an emergency. The city uses wells and is working on getting another one up and running. “I hope everybody, myself included, is conscious of their water usage – because I think we take a lot of things for granted – and at any time, something could turn on the dime,” said Ashley Qualls Groves, Galena Mayor. The city uses Missouri American Water as its backup source in the case of an emergency.
Source: KSNF/KODE

info2024-06-26T09:23:05-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

Sedgwick County regulators hold up giant solar farm on Wichita’s outskirts amid objections from neighbors

Sedgwick County appeared poised to follow its ban on wind farms with widely vetted regulations that would allow acre after acre of solar panels pumping renewable energy into the electrical grid. Instead, the county still has a moratorium on the construction of large-scale solar farms. “Boils down to a simple phrase: not in my backyard,” said Walt Chappell, a solar power booster and longtime critic of local government. The stall leaves the industry frustrated and some environmentalists upset that objections from neighbors who’d be near a proposed Chisholm Trail utility-scale solar project west of Maize may have blocked the project. Sedgwick County needed regulations for the relatively new form of industrial development — and it got high marks from the industry and federal agencies for what the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission drafted. But after the county was confronted with a specific solar farm proposed for the northwest suburbs of Wichita, local officials balked in March and extended the county’s moratorium for six months.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-06-26T09:21:04-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

New expressway officially opens in SE Kansas

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has officially opened the newly constructed U.S. 166/400 four-lane expressway, improving travel from Baxter Springs to the Kansas-Missouri border. This long-anticipated development is set to streamline traffic and enhance connectivity in the region. Currently, eastbound traffic on the new lanes is limited to a single lane until the final placement of pavement markings is completed. Motorists are advised to follow the signs and exercise caution as work continues. As construction activities are still ongoing in the project area, KDOT urges drivers to stay vigilant, obey traffic signs, and adhere to reduced speed limits to ensure safety for all.
Source: KSNF/KODE

info2024-06-26T09:19:52-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

Riley County firefighters host ‘forced entry’ training

Firefighters in Riley County came together to host a ‘forceful entry’ training session Tuesday evening. The firefighters were given a vacant home to use during the training. Workers filled the home with fake smoke to simulate an actual house fire, which firefighters forcefully entered to put out the source. Riley County Emergency Management Director and Fire Chief Russel Stukey told 27 News the two most important things firefighters need to remember when forcefully entering a burning building are safety and following procedure. “Do the least amount of damage as possible, but enough to get the job done, to get us in the building safely and have a safe way to get out,” Stukey said. “And then also to perform ventilation operations which is to get the heat and smoke out of the structure.” ‘Forceful entry’ training is just one of several training sessions firefighters in Riley County attend each month.
Source: KSNT 27 News

info2024-06-26T09:18:15-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

Per Federal compliance requirements, local law enforcement communication channels to become encrypted effective July 8

With identity theft and cybercrime becoming a more pressing concern almost daily, local law enforcement will be making major changes to radio traffic to help safeguard personal information. According to Lyon County Emergency Communications Center Director Roxanne Van Gundy, effective July 8 all radio transmissions for local law enforcement — Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Emporia Police and Emporia State University Police and Safety — will become encrypted. Van Gundy says a significant amount of personal data is communicated over the airwaves when it comes to emergencies. She says many have access to these law enforcement channels whether through police scanners or apps and while the majority are likely just trying to stay informed, there are those with more sinister intentions. While speaking with KVOE News Tuesday, Van Gundy stressed this is not a local decision but rather a Federal compliance mandate that has been in place for several years. However; the Kansas Highway Patrol has recently moved to enforce this compliance across all digital radio users.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

info2024-06-26T09:17:14-05:00June 26, 2024|News|

Zoning moratorium among items up for consideration when Lyon County Commissioners convene Thursday

Lyon County Commissioners will consider signing a resolution that would establish a moratorium and suspend any applications related to zoning, land use and building permitting within Lyon County during their regular action meeting Thursday. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the Lyon County Planning and Zoning Board to review zoning regulations related to medical buildings. It was reported earlier this month that Stormont Vail Health had purchased land to build a new multi-million dollar medical facility in the county, however, calls for confirmation from KVOE to Stormont have not been returned. Commission Chairman Rollie Martin tells KVOE News the resolution being considered Thursday was drafted by the county commission and not by any local or outside agency. Consideration of the resolution comes the same week it was announced that mediated conversations between Stormont and Newman Regional Health had come to a close. Martin declined further comment until after Thursday’s meeting.
Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

info2024-06-26T09:14:15-05:00June 26, 2024|News|