EPA fines Lawrence landfill over methane violations

15 Friday, December 15

EPA fines Lawrence landfill over methane violations

info2023-12-15T12:30:30-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Owners of a dump near Lawrence will have to pay more than $34,000 in upgrades and penalties for violating clean air regulations, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday. The Hamm Inc. landfill, which is just outside Lawrence along U.S. Highway 59, takes solid waste from Lawrence’s municipal pickup service. During an inspection of the landfill in March 2022, the EPA found the landfill was emitting an illegal volume of methane gas and failed to correct it. Methane, like carbon dioxide, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping heat. But it’s far more potent. Landfills can release huge [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Wichita to sell more public housing units

info2023-12-15T12:28:49-06:00December 15th, 2023|

The City of Wichita has scheduled open houses for 11 single family homes that are being sold as the city repositions its public housing stock. The 11 homes being sold are part of a group of 37 homes that have been approved for sale by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Wichita Housing Authority will be taking offers for the following homes: 1659 N. Woodland; 550 S. Volutsia; 1213 E. Selma; 5224 S. Hydraulic; 2236 E. 53rd St. S; 2229 E 53rd St. S; 3524 S. Bonn; 2944 S. Vine; 546 S. Richmond; 450 N. Acadia; and 991 [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2023-12: Disposition of closed school buildings

info2023-12-15T12:28:07-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Synopsis: "Dispose of" (and like phrases) in 2023 House Sub. for S.B. 113, sections 4 and 11 (to be codified at K.S.A. 2023 Supp. 72-1439 and K.S.A. 2023 Supp. 72-3216(d)) means to deal with conclusively, give away or sell, or to get rid of a school district building. It does not include leasing or renting a building. Source: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

15 Friday, December 15

Coffeyville Interim City Manager Press Release

info2023-12-15T12:26:35-06:00December 15th, 2023|

The City of Coffeyville announces the appointment of Tim Wilson as Interim City Manager. The Coffeyville City Commission voted to approve Wilson’s appointment at their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. As Interim City Manager, Wilson will serve as head of the administrative branch of the City, responsible to the Coffeyville City Commission for the efficient administration of all City affairs and assure all laws and ordinances are enforced. Tim Wilson currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Prosperity Home Mortgage LLC, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliated company. Prosperity is a multibillion dollar mortgage bank that operates in 49 states. Until his [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Study finds significant problems with Wichita school buildings

info2023-12-15T12:24:59-06:00December 15th, 2023|

A report from two consulting firms says it would cost over $1 billion to fix problems with all buildings in the Wichita school district. The report was presented to school board members week by representatives of Cooperative Strategies and Alloy Engineering as part of a master plan for district facilities. The study said that the district has 54 elementary schools and 24 of them have fewer than 350 students because of declining enrollment. Middle schools are underused by 38 percent. Many of the buildings are aging and need repair. The situation could lead to decisions to close or consolidate some schools. District staff [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Branding Iola: City Council will let community decide flag

info2023-12-15T12:23:54-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Local artist Max Grundy presented six options for a city flag during Monday evening’s Iola City Council meeting. Noting that he’s not originally from Iola, Grundy said his inspiration for the artistic renderings came mostly from his appreciation of the area’s natural beauty. The flag presentation unfolded as council members expressed varied opinions on the designs, with options ranging from a clock tower to five representations of Iola’s scenic landscapes. The favorite among council members depicted the old Allen County courthouse’s clock tower. Grundy added that the time on the clock is set to 3:04 — significant because Kansas became the [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Junction City and Geary County at odds over ambulance costs

info2023-12-15T12:21:13-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Junction City and Geary County are at odds over who should pay the EMS bill. In 1967, the two governments agreed that the Junction City Fire Department would handle EMS calls in Geary County, and not just in the city limits. The non-reimbursed costs for the service to the county are split with one-third paid by the city and two-thirds paid by the county. Geary County officials announced in July they no longer wished to continue the agreement at that cost split. A new agreement was discussed but no action could be taken, due to the 2024 budget already having been completed. Junction City [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Wamego officials planning for demo of “Not” Chrysler House

info2023-12-15T12:19:45-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Wamego city officials were unable to find an interested buyer for the building locals refer to as “Not the Chrysler House,” at the southeast corner of Highway 99 and US 24. The historic house, once thought to be the birthplace of automotive industry executive Walter Chrysler, sits on property deeded to the city years ago from the Kansas Department of Transportation. City Manager Stacie Eichem. Eichem says city staff are exploring best options for future public use of the property, but admits the location, at the corner of two highways, creates a tricky situation. Community members raised funds to move the [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn is passing the torch after 27 years in office

info2023-12-15T12:17:12-06:00December 15th, 2023|

Leawood, Kansas, will swear in a new mayor next month for the first time in 27 years. Mayor Peggy Dunn announced in June that she wouldn't run again. Dunn first entered public office in 1993 as a city councilmember, and after two terms in that role, she was elected mayor in 1997. Among her most significant contributions to the city were establishing major commercial shopping areas, like Park Place and Town Center, which allowed the city to keep property taxes down. "I kept running because I enjoyed it so much, and the city was in a time of historic growth," Dunn told KCUR's Up [...]

15 Friday, December 15

Kansas Amelia Earhart Museum contender for top new museum in the United States

info2023-12-15T12:15:05-06:00December 15th, 2023|

The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is in the final stretch of online voting as one of 16 new museums across the United States nominated for the “Best New Museum” by USA Today's Reader’s Choice Travel Awards for 2024. “With thousands of Amelia Earhart fans and admirers casting their vote for us — every day — until Christmas Day — we think the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum can soar to the top spot,” said Mindi Love Pendergraft, the museum’s executive director. Celebrating Earhart’s aviation legacy in aviator’s Atchison, Kansas, hometown, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is the only museum in the Midwest among [...]