Topeka leaders say the local homeless situation is spiraling

2 Thursday, February 2

Topeka leaders say the local homeless situation is spiraling

info2023-02-02T07:35:45-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Volunteers counted 365 unsheltered people last year in Topeka during the annual Point in Time Homeless Count. Meanwhile, one chronically homeless person costs taxpayers an average of more than $35,000 a year, says the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Multiply those and the total is $12.78 million. Compare that to the roughly $76,000 Topeka's city government is considering paying a consultant to help the city better deal with homelessness and "that $76,000 is a pretty small number," said city manager Stephen Wade. Source: CJonline

2 Thursday, February 2

Harvey County commissioners open to revisiting wind regulations

info2023-02-02T07:22:27-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Justin Stucky, chairman of the Harvey County Planning Commission, told commissioners that he was concerned about their decision to reduce the setbacks from 1,500 feet to 1,000 feet for wind turbines. He said he was speaking for himself but added that their action in October “undermined the whole reason for having a planning and zoning board. These are decisions that will affect the county for many years.” Stucky asked commissioners to reopen the renewable energy regulations for discussion. He asked Commissioner Don Schroeder to add the topic for discussion at the next meeting. He said the county had plenty of time [...]

2 Thursday, February 2

Fire near Bentley lasts for over two years

info2023-02-02T07:18:45-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

The end is coming for a fire that the Sedgwick County Fire Prevention (SCFP) and Bentley and Valley Center Fire Departments have been fighting for over two years. In late 2020, a local landowner purchased material from an ethanol plant in Colwich and had it delivered to his land around 101st Street and 119th Street West, according to Fire Marshal Brad Crisp of the Sedgwick County Fire Prevention. Crisp said he believed the intention was to use the ash as some sort of mineral supplement for the farmland, but it contained a lot of metal and had some combustion going on [...]

2 Thursday, February 2

Sedgwick to double its Flock camera coverage

info2023-02-02T00:17:18-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Sedgwick has two more Flock cameras coming, probably sometime in March, according to Police Chief Lee Nygaard. He said the addition of the cameras is to complete the city’s coverage of its four major roadways to and from town. A year ago, Sedgwick installed the Flock cameras on 125th Street heading east and on South Ridge Road. The two new cameras will cover the roads going north and west. Nygaard said it was former Police Chief Brian Daily’s plan from the beginning to get the added coverage of four cameras. Source: Harvey County Now

2 Thursday, February 2

Halstead and North Newton receive SEED grant

info2023-02-02T00:15:10-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

The cities of Halstead and North Newton worked together to submit a successful SEED Grant application and soon North Newton park will see new shade structures, the Halstead Public Library will have new carpeting, and the Kansas Learning Center for Health (KLCH) will install new exercise equipment as a result of the cooperation. Halstead City Manager Ethan Reimer said the SEED grants were only going to be awarded one per county so Halstead and North Newton negotiated a way to come together instead of competing for the limited grant money. “We thought it was better and more in the spirit, and [...]

2 Thursday, February 2

Peabody goes after $3 million in grant money

info2023-02-02T00:10:21-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Twenty-nine property owners in Peabody’s historic district, Sunflower Theatre, and the city of Peabody have applied for nearly $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money funneled through the Kansas Department of Commerce. City council members signed off Monday night on the city’s own request for $725,000 for sidewalks and lampposts. Requests also were approved by the Peabody Main Street Association. Jonathan Clayton, who works for the Commerce Department, helped guide Peabody’s application for the Building a Stronger Economy 2.0 grant, the second round of funding. He did so on his own, independent of his job, and at no cost, he [...]

2 Thursday, February 2

Richter named new Jackson County Clerk

info2023-02-02T07:25:55-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

When Jackson County Clerk Kathy Mick steps down from her post at the end of March, longtime assistant clerk Kristie Richter will step in to take her place. “I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited,” said Richter, who has worked in the county clerk’s office in the Jackson County Courthouse for more than two decades. Mick, who has held the county clerk’s position for 30 years and has worked for Jackson County for 44 years, said she has confidence that Richter will do an excellent job. “She’s got the basics down,” Mick said of Richter. “I think she’ll be able to [...]

2 Thursday, February 2

Speeding ticket fines may increase in Kansas

info2023-02-02T00:05:33-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Lawmakers met today in Topeka to discuss a potential increase in penalties for speeding cars going 30 miles per hour or higher over the speed limit. The proposed changes would make going 30 MPH or more over the speed limit a $500 fine instead of the current $195. There will be an additional $20 for every mile per hour over. Trooper Chad Crittenden said warnings and citations have been effective for some people but for many others, it does not change their spending habits. Source: KAKE - News

2 Thursday, February 2

Lenexa’s longest-serving mayor will retire after 2 decades and a city transformation

info2023-02-02T07:26:30-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Michael Boehm, Lenexa's longest-serving mayor, will retire after 20 years leading the city. Boehm is a lifelong resident of the city, and has seen the city's population grow by nearly 20,000 residents since taking office in 2003. Under Boehm, the city took on a massive development project, relocating city hall and creating a new downtown district near I-435 and 87th street. "I think it's turned out better than anyone could have imagined," says Boehm of the Lenexa City Center. Source: KCUR

2 Thursday, February 2

City of Derby computer network fixed

info2023-02-02T00:00:34-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

The City of Derby says its computer network is back to being fully operational as of Tuesday. The network started having problems two and a half weeks ago. It began as a computer network disruption on Jan. 14. The City started working with third-party computer specialists to investigate and notified law enforcement agencies. The City of Derby says the investigation continues and includes trying to determine what impact, if any, the incident may have had on information stored on City network systems. Source: KSN-TV