Governor Kelly Announces $350M in Highway Projects Added to IKE Construction Pipeline

29 Friday, September 29

Governor Kelly Announces $350M in Highway Projects Added to IKE Construction Pipeline

info2023-09-29T08:02:04-05:00September 29th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed today announced seven Expansion and Modernization highway projects – a total investment of more than $350 million – have been committed to construction as part of the Kelly administration’s bipartisan 10-year, $10 billion Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, also known as IKE. “When combined with the first two rounds of IKE Construction projects, these investments are part of a $2 billion commitment to make our roads safer, reduce congestion, create good jobs, and deliver more economic opportunities,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “Getting these projects to construction will make getting around Kansas safer and easier [...]

29 Friday, September 29

WSU forecast calls for Kansas home values to continue to increase

info2023-09-29T08:00:01-05:00September 29th, 2023|

Wichita State University’s Center for Real Estate is forecasting that Kansas home values will continue to appreciate in 2024. The forecast was released Thursday by CRE director, Dr. Stan Longhofer. He said the inventory of homes available for sale is very limited, and as a result the market still favors sellers despite the softening of demand due to higher mortgage rates. Longhofer presented the forecast in Manhattan to the Kansas Association of Realtors Annual Conference. It calls for home sales to fall slightly in Wichita and remain flat statewide next year, and new home construction activity is also expected to be [...]

29 Friday, September 29

Turbines to take a spin in the spotlight at ribbon-cutting

info2023-09-29T07:59:03-05:00September 29th, 2023|

The formal opening of Orsted’s Sunflower Wind farm will be marked with a ribbon cutting Thursday. The 200 megawatt wind farm is one of 13 Orsted wind farms in the United States. Sunflower will produce enough electricity to power more than 70,000 homes. Local landowners, community members, and stakeholders will be at the event to celebrate the project's completion and economic benefits it will bring to the community and state. Source: HILLSBORO Star-Journal

29 Friday, September 29

Will this Johnson County city restrict — even ban — Airbnbs? Neighbors are complaining

info2023-09-29T07:56:23-05:00September 29th, 2023|

The Shawnee City Council is considering whether to tighten restrictions on Airbnbs and other short-term rentals — or outright ban them from residential areas. City officials say they’ve received a growing number of complaints in single-family neighborhoods about noise, parking, alcohol and trash at Airbnb and Vrbo locations. And now the city is considering whether to regulate them more or get rid of them altogether, as a growing number of cities nationwide, including New York City and Dallas, crack down. Shawnee could be one of the first cities in Johnson County to do so. Prairie Village officials also have discussed regulating [...]

29 Friday, September 29

Governor Kelly issues state of disaster emergency for wildland fires

info2023-09-29T07:52:15-05:00September 29th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly has issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation Thursday morning due to increased fire weather conditions. Warmer conditions, strong winds and low relative humidities will create high to very-high fire weather conditions especially in the central and western regions of the state. Governor Kelly says this declaration allows resources to be "prepositioned to provide state assistance." “I urge everyone across the state to use extreme caution and avoid burning, if at all possible,” Governor Kelly said. “Please keep yourself and your community safe and use extra precautions anytime you are doing any burning.” Source: KAKE - News

29 Friday, September 29

Flamingo at Kansas lake draws visitors

info2023-09-29T07:50:28-05:00September 29th, 2023|

The Chase County State Fishing Lake is a popular place to be Thursday after a flamingo was spotted seemingly enjoying the warm Kansas weather. The local sheriff's office says the bird's name is Flint. "We know this is an unusual sight to see and the lake is a popular place today," the Chase County Sheriff's Office said. "So with that said we remind everyone to please watch for pedestrians and park where access is not restricted." The sheriff's office said state game wardens have been contacted and that people should not attempt to catch the flamingo. Source: KAKE - News

29 Friday, September 29

Lawsuit against City of Wichita claims court system doesn’t do psych evaluations before trial

info2023-09-29T07:48:25-05:00September 29th, 2023|

A lawsuit against the City of Wichita covers what its court system is not offering certain defendants. That class action lawsuit claims Wichita's Municipal Court doesn't provide psychological evaluations to determine if a defendant suspected of having mental health issues should stand trial. The lawsuit says The City has been wrongfully convicting people who aren't competent for years and it needs to stop. Attorney Mark Schoenhofer says his client was wrongly convicted on charges related to drugs, petty theft, and urinating in public because there was no psych evaluation before she went to trial. Source: KAKE - News

29 Friday, September 29

More affordable tiny homes coming to McPherson

info2023-09-29T07:46:20-05:00September 29th, 2023|

"It's a $1.2 million project that will build seven homes, permanent homes for families and provide supportive services. Which means they need a doctor, if they need to get a better job, if they need education, if they need to get an attorney, we can actually provide those services for those families so that they stay stably housed," said Chris Goodson with the McPherson Housing Coalition. Source: KAKE - News

29 Friday, September 29

Johnson County is creating more courts to divert people to treatment, not jail

info2023-09-29T07:44:55-05:00September 29th, 2023|

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health approximately “44% of people in jails and 37% of people in prison have a mental illness.” The number of people in prison with a substance abuse issue is estimated to be 65%. Specialty courts with focuses on veterans, mental health and drug treatment are systems aimed at providing individualized plans for qualifying offenders to treat underlying issues that may have contributed to non-violent crimes. Currently, Johnson County has a veterans treatment court and juvenile drug court, and in October, the 10th Judicial District will begin operating a mental health and adult drug treatment court. [...]

29 Friday, September 29

Wichita explains why it is selling off affordable housing

info2023-09-29T08:27:57-05:00September 29th, 2023|

Two days after the City of Wichita announced it is selling 13 public housing units, the mayor explained why and what it could mean for people who need public housing. Why? "A lot of these houses, keep in mind, are not occupied," Mayor Brandon Whipple said. "Frankly, they are the ones I get calls about on, 'Why are they boarded up?' 'The city owns this,' and 'It's a drag on the neighborhood.'" He said there is a blight issue with the houses, so the city wants to find buyers to get the homes fixed and then get people living in the [...]