Wichita to pay $262,500 after police stood outside as man stabbed roommate

11 Monday, September 11

Wichita to pay $262,500 after police stood outside as man stabbed roommate

info2023-09-11T13:32:15-05:00September 11th, 2023|

The Wichita City Council is set to approve a six-figure payout related to a 2019 incident where police officers stood outside of a house as a man killed his roommate by stabbing her up to 50 times. The family of the victim, Devin Andrea Cook, had sued the city in state court over officers’ failure to intervene during the deadly assault. The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes the authorization of a $262,500 payment as “full settlement of all claims against the officers and the City of Wichita” arising from a domestic violence incident on Nov. 23, 2019. That’s the day that [...]

11 Monday, September 11

GCFD firefighters deployed to Alaska inform City Commission of experience

info2023-09-11T13:27:43-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Members of the Garden City Fire Department shared information and their experience on a Wildland Team deployment in Tok, Alaska, with the Kansas Fire Module at the Garden City Commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. The Kansas Fire Module was comprised of members from the Kansas Forest Service, the GCFD and the Olathe Fire Department. The module spent 14 days, beginning on July 29, in the Tok area, in which the protection boundary is comprised of 8.5 million acres of land. Firefighter Raymond Hestikind spoke on the experience on behalf of firefighters Chris Talmage and Ljay Geist, who were unable to make the [...]

11 Monday, September 11

Kansas school districts look for ways to entice kids back to class

info2023-09-11T13:27:02-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Three years after the pandemic sent most Kansas kids home to learn, schools have a vexing new challenge: getting them to come back to class. Missing school has become a crisis statewide. State education leaders are still compiling data from last school year, but they expect the problem is getting worse. “Definitely a dramatic uptick … which is not what anybody would want to see,” said Robyn Kelso, who monitors attendance for the Kansas Department of Education. “At the same time, I don’t know that I’m necessarily surprised.” Many older students struggled with the transition to remote learning and then back [...]

11 Monday, September 11

Celebrating Heritage: Arvonia hosts history preservation tour

info2023-09-11T10:43:01-05:00September 11th, 2023|

A busload of tourists converged on tiny Arvonia, Kansas, on Labor Day, ready to learn about the historic Welsh settlement and efforts to restore and preserve local heritage. More than 30 people participated in the tour, a supplemental excursion offered through the North American Festival of Wales, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, the previous week. Arvonia Historical Preservation Society board members and volunteers prepared the restored Township Hall for lunch with wooden tables and benches, decorated with daffodils and small Welsh flags. Displays of local maps and platts, correspondence, newspaper articles, school records and other documents and pictures were set up around [...]

11 Monday, September 11

Kelly touts budding economic development as boon for state

info2023-09-11T10:40:02-05:00September 11th, 2023|

With a number of economic initiatives propelling Kansas forward, Gov. Laura Kelly believes the State of Kansas is taking monumental steps to invigorate its economy and foster industry growth in the Emporia area. Kelly, who spoke to The Gazette this week, emphasized that this achievement is a direct outcome of the state’s strategic plan for economic development. This comprehensive plan, instated under her administration, provides a modern roadmap for growth — a departure from the outdated strategies that had hindered Kansas’ economic progress for decades. Source: Emporia Gazette

11 Monday, September 11

Claflin Fire District receives donation from Anheuser-Busch

info2023-09-11T10:35:33-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Claflin Fire District No. 1 has received a grant from Anheuser-Busch through the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. Drinking water is used directly for firefighter comfort and safety. The grant included a case of powdered electrolyte replacement additive and 98 cases of canned drinking water, which is loaded to coolers on each truck and helps firefighters stay hydrated on fire calls. Source: Great Bend Tribune

11 Monday, September 11

Amid housing fight, Prairie Village residents confused by judge’s contradictory rulings

info2023-09-11T10:34:29-05:00September 11th, 2023|

PV United, a group opposed to proposals to increase affordable housing in Prairie Village, circulated three petitions that would change the city's government and zoning rules. A judge this week gave an oral ruling on which petitions could appear on the ballot in November, but later contradicted that decision in her written ruling. Source: KCUR

11 Monday, September 11

Wichita city council to vote on short term rental regulations next week

info2023-09-11T10:31:59-05:00September 11th, 2023|

If you ask Patricia Hileman why she and her family moved to the college hill neighborhood of Wichita 14 years ago, its a fairly simple answer. "I just like old houses and I love the trees that come with old houses and the community.” When she moved in, short term rentals like Airbnb were not really wide scale in Wichita. However since then more and more have popped up. She doesn't oppose people having short term rentals but said, "I love having relationships with neighbors, and short term rentals, you don't build relationships, they're not going to be here, right?" Source: [...]

11 Monday, September 11

Overland Park Arboretum will open $22M visitor center this weekend

info2023-09-11T10:29:28-05:00September 11th, 2023|

After years of planning, the new $22.7 million visitors center at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens will open to the public this weekend. Named after a major donor to the project, Janet Long, the LongHouse Visitors Center will be the new entrance to the 300-acre arboretum. When guests enter the 21,000-square-foot building, they’ll find floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the gardens, ponds and natural scenery. The new center includes a gift shop, space for exhibits, meeting rooms and a café, as well as various rental spaces that can be used for weddings and community events. Source: Kansas [...]

11 Monday, September 11

Russell under mandatory water usage reduction

info2023-09-11T10:26:45-05:00September 11th, 2023|

The City of Russell on Saturday called for a mandatory reduction in water usage. A news release from the city says Big Creek is one of the city's two water sources and has stopped flowing over the lowhead dam immediately downstream from the city's intake structure. This development caused the city to move to a Stage 2 Water Warning. Here are the following mandatory water conservation measures for the use of potable water from the City’s municipal water supply system: Source: KSN-TV