The City of Andover held a grand opening for its new fire station on Thursday. The new station is located south of U.S. Highway 400, and South Andover Road and was paid for by a sales tax initiative over the last two years. It’s the second fire station in Andover. “We broke ground on it in October 2022, so they’ve been working on this and building it for the last year,” Megan Schapaugh, public information officer for the city of Andover, said. “Firefighters started moving in a couple of months ago, but we are finally having our big grand opening.” The grand opening was open to the public. Students from Prairie Creek Elementary School were able to tour the new fire station. “They’ve been taking tours throughout the day today to see the new fire station,” Schapaugh said. Having the second fire station will be an important piece for the City of Andover as it continues to grow. “As Andover continues to grow, it’s important to just add another fire station to help the community stay safe and keep everyone safe,” Schapaugh said.
Source: KSN-TV

Voters in Norton County are deciding the value of health care in their community. On May 7, they will vote on whether to approve a one-percent sales tax hike to help fund Norton County Hospital and EMS. If voters approve it, the extra penny of tax on each dollar of purchases would begin on Oct. 1. Three-quarters of the money raised would go to the hospital. The other one-quarter would go to EMS. The sales tax would end after 10 years. Norton County Hospital is dealing with financial issues, including inflation and lower insurance reimbursement rates. Officials say the hospital’s average operating margin in 2021, 2022, and 2023 ranged from -15 to -20%. If voters do not approve the sales tax hike, hospital officials say they will be forced to make difficult decisions, beginning with service reductions, followed by staff reductions, and ultimately risking closure. “This is a health care initiative aimed at improving health care within the County of Norton,” Kevin Faughnder, the hospital CEO, said. “When we look at the higher costs, higher operational costs, lower reimbursement rates, and just overall increases in the cost of living today, what we realized was we couldn’t do that on just seeing patients.” The one-percent sales tax increase became the preferred option.
Source: KSN-TV

Ford County dispatchers have a problem. Too many people are calling 911 accidentally. They say they have taken 1,061 accidental 911 calls since the start of the year. That is about 300 a month. Ford County Emergency Communications wants people to know how easily it happens and not hang up if it does happen. “This is a more common occurrence than you might think. Pressing buttons on the side of your phone, watch, and in some car systems – certain buttons will dial 911. Please stay on the line and let the dispatcher know that it was an accident,” officials said on social media.  People who hang up will get a follow-up call from the dispatcher. The dispatcher must ensure the caller is safe and that it was an accident. Ford County also wants parents to know that some old cellphones can still dial 911. So, if you let children play with an old phone, the child could accidentally call 911. “We’ve spoken to several children/babies over the years, who are playing with the phone,” Ford County Emergency Communications said.
Source: KSN-TV