Mulvane’s Hixson ends career spanning four decades

22 Friday, December 22

Mulvane’s Hixson ends career spanning four decades

info2023-12-22T11:40:56-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

When Kent Hixson accepted the job of Mulvane’s city administrator in 1994, little did he know that his service would stretch almost three decades. “Back then, I would have laughed at the idea of staying 29 years,” he said. “I wanted to stay long enough so our two sons could get through high school.” Hixson officially retired from his work with the city in October of 2023. His last city council meeting – after attending hundreds through his years of service – was Oct. 2. “It’s bittersweet,” Hixson said, “but it’s my time to move on and I’m looking forward to [...]

22 Friday, December 22

New shared Fire/EMS facility breaks ground

info2023-12-22T10:32:47-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

Ground has officially broken on the Garden City Fire Department and Finney County EMS Station 3. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for the facility to be located on the northwest corner of the Schulman Avenue and Jennie Barker Road intersection. Deb Oyler, Garden City Mayor, said the facility is the final project using the 2017 sales tax proceeds that voters of Finney County supported. “Today is not just a celebration of this new joint facility, but it’s a testament to the power of community support and collaboration,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate the partnerships between Garden City and the [...]

22 Friday, December 22

County Commission establishes committee focusing on LEC remodel

info2023-12-22T10:18:52-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

A Law Enforcement Center Remodel Committee was established by the Finney County Commission at their regular meeting Monday. Gerry Schultz, County commissioner, said the purpose for the committee’s creation is to assist in the planning and construction phase of the LEC’s remodel and to assist in communication with the effected parties including the city of Garden City, Garden City Police Department, Finney County and the Sheriff’s Office, and to ensure participation by the County commission in important decisions relating to the planning and construction. Commissioner Duane Drees will serve as the chair of the committee which will be composed of Finney County Administrator [...]

22 Friday, December 22

Hesston Fire/EMS transitioning to 24-hour service

info2023-12-22T10:01:11-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

Hesston Fire/EMS will undergo a major overhaul, and residents will see an improvement in service, thanks to a county grant as well as investment from the City of Hesston. That’s according to Hesston Fire/EMS Chief Russ Buller. He said the city council, following a Tuesday work session, gave the go-ahead for a plan that would allow two full-time staff members from the county. The additions would allow Hesston to staff its service for 24 hours per day, five days a week with full-time staff. Part-time staff, previously paid for call response, would be paid minimum wage for on-call hours. Previously, full-time [...]

22 Friday, December 22

Wyandotte County residents disagree about whether to dissolve the Unified Government

info2023-12-22T09:48:45-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

In October, the mayors of the three largest cities in Wyandotte County floated the idea of dissolving the Unified Government as an option to address debt and service issues. But not everyone thinks those structural changes are the right approach. The possibility of dissolving the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, is now on the table but it's not clear whether that would be an effective strategy. In October, the mayors of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Kansas City, Kansas floated the idea of splitting up the Unified Government, and announced they wanted to hear from residents about how [...]

22 Friday, December 22

Panasonic still moving forward with Kansas factory after pulling plans for Oklahoma plant

info2023-12-22T09:46:22-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

A global company has once again decided against building an electric vehicle battery plant near Tulsa despite lawmakers offering a $698 million incentive package and funding millions of dollars in site improvements at the company’s request. A Panasonic spokesperson said Friday that the company will not build a multibillion-dollar battery plant at Pryor’s MidAmerica Industrial Park. “In April 2023, we entered into an agreement with the state of Oklahoma to explore building a factory in the state, with the understanding that we would make a decision about whether or not to move forward at the end of that exploratory process,” Panasonic spokesperson Alison [...]

22 Friday, December 22

City of Wichita planting over 1K trees to tackle heat islands

info2023-12-22T09:43:07-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

The City of Wichita will be planting over 1,000 trees to tackle heat islands across Wichita. District 6 Council Member Maggie Ballard held a public meeting on Wednesday afternoon at Emporia Park to discuss how the lack of an extensive tree canopy contributes to the area being identified as a heat island by NASA. After extensive outreach and public input, the Wichita City Council approved a tree policy for the city on Tuesday. "Our goal for the tree policy is to lessen the effect of heat islands across our community," said Ballard. "Implementing a tree policy isn't just about creating a nice green backdrop [...]

22 Friday, December 22

Mission OKs inclusive play equipment purchase for Water Works Park

info2023-12-22T09:41:34-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

Water Works Park in Mission is getting new play equipment. The Mission City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a nearly $350,000 purchase of inclusive play equipment for Water Works Park. Water Works Park is located off of 53rd Street and Woodson Drive, directly south of Rushton Elementary. The green and blue play equipment includes swing sets, slides and mounds. Penn Almoney, the parks and recreation director, told the city council on Dec. 20 that the new playground allows access from any angle. It also provides ways for children who are unable to communicate to tap a picture and communicate with other [...]

22 Friday, December 22

On the windswept plains of southwest Kansas, loneliness and isolation confirm policy failures

info2023-12-22T09:39:17-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

I’m saying goodbye to another set of friends who are leaving Dodge City and moving on to greener pastures outside of Kansas, writes Alejandro Rangel-Lopez. While this feeling first felt like a slight breeze, it now reflects the howling winds of the prairies as I struggle to hold on, like a tumbleweed in a barbed wire fence. In 2021, I graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree, a community organizing job in my hometown and a dream of empowering young southwest Kansans with the tools to build communities we can be proud to call home. Two years later, I’m saying [...]

22 Friday, December 22

Johnson County’s only winter homeless shelter is already at capacity

info2023-12-22T09:37:44-06:00December 22nd, 2023|

The first of December marked the beginning of the ninth winter of operations for Project 1020, Johnson County’s only low-barrier-to-entry homeless shelter. “If I had 75 beds, they would all be filled and I’d still need more,” McEver said. “We’re easily seeing that many people here every night.” McEver said the 30 beds Project 1020 is currently allowed by the city of Lenexa are simply not enough to meet the growing demand they are facing each day. The shelter operates out of the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church at 9400 Pflumm Rd. She keeps extensive data and analyzes it for trends and hard truths, she [...]