McElroy named Garden Plain city administrator

15 Friday, September 15

McElroy named Garden Plain city administrator

info2023-09-15T07:51:07-05:00September 15th, 2023|

The City of Garden Plain, about 45 miles southwest of Newton, has hired Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy as its city administrator. The Times Sentinel Newspaper, which serves that community, reported the hire after covering Garden Plain’s city council meeting. McElroy lives in Garden Plain, and the Sentinel’s report stated McElroy will begin working in Garden Plain in late October. Kelly informed the City of Newton in July she would leave her position in October. McElroy worked for Newton for seven years, rising through the ranks as community development director, then city planner and assistant city manager. She replaced manager Bob [...]

15 Friday, September 15

Sedgwick County commissioners approve moratorium on large-scale solar projects

info2023-09-15T08:40:29-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Sedgwick County commissioners have voted to approve a six-month moratorium on any large scale solar energy zoning applications. The moratorium will suspend the application process for any large scale solar projects, such as wind farms or other operations that would generate and sell wholesale energy. It would not apply to homeowners or businesses that are putting up solar panels for their own use. The moratorium would also be in place for the unincorporated areas of the county, and it would not apply within cities and towns. Source: 101.3 KFDI

15 Friday, September 15

New Interactive Dashboard Shows Cities Are Rebuilding America Using Federal Infrastructure Funds

info2023-09-15T08:41:40-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Today, the National League of Cities (NLC) launched an interactive dashboard tracking how thousands of cities, towns and villages are investing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding into valuable projects for communities across the country. The dashboard tracks more than 1,600 projects across 1,100 local governments. Overall, this map represents $13 billion dollars in direct infrastructure funding awarded to local governments for investments in resilience, safety and clean energy as well as roads, bridges, public transportation and other infrastructure that are used by more than 97 million people. Source: NLC

15 Friday, September 15

City of Shawnee can restrict roommates: Judge dismisses suit over controversial law

info2023-09-15T08:42:02-05:00September 15th, 2023|

A federal judge has sided with Shawnee, dismissing a lawsuit over the city’s controversial co-living ban, which limits how many unrelated people can live together. David Deerson, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation representing the property management company suing the city, told The Star he plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The city adopted the ordinance last year, prohibiting more than three unrelated people from living together in a single residence. The city only allows more people to live together if they are blood relatives or related by marriage, adoption or [...]

15 Friday, September 15

Wichita Parks Department makes changes to Pickleball complex plans to address noise problems

info2023-09-15T07:43:16-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Pickle Ball is one of the fastest growing sports in America and the distinctive sounds of the plastic ball hitting a paddle is popping up all over cities in the US. That sound is something William Long will have to get used to. "It doesn't really bother me,“ Long told KAKE on Thursday. Long lives right next to the soccer fields of South Lakes sports complex. It is also going to be the home of the City of Wichita's new pickleball complex. While pickleball is a fast growing sport, one problem about it is also growing at a major rate, noise [...]

15 Friday, September 15

Kansas folk artist M.T. Liggett is more than his eccentric ‘character’ in a new documentary

info2023-09-15T07:41:11-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Those who drive through Mullinville, Kansas, population 197, might not remember the town. But they probably remember the miles of metal sculptures that line U.S. 400 just outside of it. Those totems and whirligigs are the work of eccentric folk artist M.T. Liggett. He's the subject of "It Started With A Horse," a documentary by Kansas City filmmaker Joshua Dubois. The documentary, filmed over the course of 20 years, aims to tell the "true story" of Liggett, who died in 2017. Source: KCUR

15 Friday, September 15

Open Streets ICT to take place in downtown on Sunday

info2023-09-15T07:37:39-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Open Streets ICT will take place this Sunday, Sept. 17, from 12 to 5 p.m. through downtown Wichita. The event will run on Douglas Avenue from Wichita's historic Delano District all the way to College Hill. Douglas will be blocked for four miles from Bluff to Glenn Street during that time. Wichitans and visitors will be able to cruise along Douglas on bikes, skateboards, or walk and stop at activity hubs, shop businesses on the route, and visit food and street vendors while listening to music. There will be hubs of shops located at West Douglas, Kennedy Plaza, Naftzger Park, East [...]

15 Friday, September 15

Pittsburg is landscaping with new “four-wheel-drive weed eaters”

info2023-09-15T07:36:11-05:00September 15th, 2023|

The City of Pittsburg has a new landscaping team - one with a new "environmentally friendly" approach. "The area that customers are looking to maintain will show up while fenced off with a portable electric fence. And then, we'll turn to goats in there. And then, depending on how far down, we usually try to do 70 to 75% vegetation reduction. But it's up to the customers how long they want to leave the goats in there," said Robert Dutton. Source: KSNF/KODE

15 Friday, September 15

Century-old pipes, water tower maintenance cause water main breaks in Emporia

info2023-09-15T07:35:09-05:00September 15th, 2023|

A combination of water tower maintenance, shifts in water pressure and 80 to 100-year-old pipes is causing water main breaks across Emporia. On Wednesday, the City of Emporia issued a Water Watch after a 20-inch pipe from 1926 broke. After the pipe was isolated the watch was rescinded. "The tower being out of service is changing the water pressure patterns, and we have selected water hydrants open to reduce pressure levels," Emporia spokeswoman Christine Torrens said. Source: KSNT 27 News

15 Friday, September 15

‘It’s not really about the bikes’: Advocates seek ideas to improve Wichita’s livability

info2023-09-15T07:34:08-05:00September 15th, 2023|

Ten years ago, Wichita had less than 60 miles of bike paths. When the city asked people how to make Wichita more bike friendly, over 4,000 responded, calling for more paths – and more safety awareness from drivers. That level of public interest was something the city couldn’t ignore. So it created its first bike master plan to guide cycling development for the city and make Wichita more welcoming for bikes. Since then, more than 50 miles of bike paths have been added, and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board was appointed to gather advice from cyclists. Source: Local News | [...]