Macksville City Library has a summer for the books

28 Monday, August 28

Macksville City Library has a summer for the books

info2023-08-29T08:53:11-05:00August 28th, 2023|

With school back in session, the 2023 Summer Reading Program at the Macksville City Library has come to a close. Library Director Jody Suiter shared a recap: We embraced the All Together Now theme with puzzles, games, books, special speakers, and TEAM-work reminding participants that “Together Everyone Achieves More.” It was a dream come true to host Summer Reading in our new library addition! For the first time, ever, we were able to spread out, beyond the walls of our former one-room library. And, while we are still raising funds for shelves and furnishings, the kids didn’t ever complain. Source: Great [...]

28 Monday, August 28

Sedgwick County works to decrease long lines on election day

info2023-08-28T22:12:21-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Sedgwick County is planning to add up to 30 new polling sites for next year's election. According to Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater, many polling sites currently have too many registered voters. Rainwater said some sites have over 7,000 and the target is to have between 3,000 to 3,500 at each site. She said they have 83 polling sites and adding the 30 will take them to 113. "We are trying to reduce the size and the number of registered voters assigned to these polling day sites so that we don't have so many people in long lines especially during a presidential [...]

28 Monday, August 28

Shawnee taps Overland Park staffer as 2nd assistant city manager

info2023-08-29T08:55:09-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Another assistant city manager is headed to the city of Shawnee. City Manager Doug Gerber announced last week that the city had hired Chelsee Chism as a second assistant city manager.... Chism has more than 10 years of experience from the city of Overland Park, including five years in the city manager’s office there, according to a Shawnee city press release. In Overland Park, she served as the city manager’s office’s liaison to the public works department and supervised the city’s facilities and sustainability divisions. ... Colin Duffy, Shawnee’s current assistant city manager, is staying in his role, meaning Shawnee will [...]

28 Monday, August 28

Prairie Village to address pickleball noise at Windsor Park

info2023-08-29T08:55:47-05:00August 28th, 2023|

The national furor over pickleball noise has made its way to Prairie Village. The city recently installed six pickleball courts at Windsor Park, 7200 Windsor St., and after receiving some complaints from neighbors about the incessant thwack-thwack noise coming from the courts, the city says it is looking at ways to address it. At the same time that the recreational sport has exploded in popularity in recent years, pickleball noise has also become the subject of numerous lawsuits across the U.S., including an apparently now-settled one involving pickleball courts at Mission Hills Country Club. Source: Prairie Village Post

28 Monday, August 28

Wichita officials looking to intervene in Evergy rate case

info2023-08-29T08:56:01-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Wichita City Council members are talking about intervening in the rate increase request by Evergy. The Council has unanimously approved a resolution stating opposition to the rate increase. The Kansas Corporation Commission has scheduled a hearing in October, and council members are talking about providing testimony during that hearing. Council member Bryan Frye said the resolution would be only one step in the process and he hopes the council will agree to intervene in the case. Source: 101.3 KFDI

28 Monday, August 28

Mulvane tabs St. John as new city admin

info2023-08-29T08:57:58-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Following a six-month hiring process, the Mulvane City Council announced its new city administrator at its Aug. 21 meeting, with Austin St. John selected to take over for Kent Hixson. According to The Mulvane News, St. John is slated to start on Oct. 7 after Hixson’s official retirement. St. John has served as the city administrator in Marysville for the past seven years, previously filling the same role in Chapman from 2014-2016. Source: Derby Informer | Area

28 Monday, August 28

Haysville to vote on sales tax continuation

info2023-08-29T08:58:19-05:00August 28th, 2023|

At its Aug. 14 meeting, according to The Times Sentinel, the Haysville City Council voted to place the renewal of the city’s 1% sales tax on the ballot for the Nov. 7 general election. Per council action, the sales tax renewal will appear as a special question on general election ballots asking if voters would like to extend the tax, which would go into effect July 1, 2024. Haysville’s current sales tax will sunset on June 30, 2024. Sales tax funds in Haysville are used for local street projects as well as park and recreation improvements, which the 10-year renewal would [...]

28 Monday, August 28

City of Emporia lifts water conservation request following weeklong heatwave and high level water usage

info2023-08-28T22:01:53-05:00August 28th, 2023|

After three days, the City of Emporia has lifted its voluntary water conservation request. The request, in place since Wednesday morning, came at a time when the city was seeing record water usage that nearly drained the Industrial Park water tower near Warren Way and significantly lowered the capacity at the East 12th tower. Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking says the city’s water treatment pumps couldn’t keep up with demand Tuesday and Wednesday leading to the conservation request. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

28 Monday, August 28

A sports park’s financial woes highlight a risky corner of the municipal-bond market.

info2023-08-28T12:10:39-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Legacy Park in Mesa, Ariz., spread over 320 acres, filed for bankruptcy in May, 15 months after it opened and three years after a local government entity agreed to issue muni bonds to pay for the park’s construction. The bonds recently traded at roughly 10 cents on the dollar, and the park is looking for a buyer. The local entity that issued the bonds is known as a conduit issuer and, unlike a city or town that issues muni bonds, bears no responsibility for repaying the debt. The park’s financial troubles have raised questions about whether the conduit setup, in addition [...]

28 Monday, August 28

Taking Sidewalks Seriously

info2023-08-28T12:09:03-05:00August 28th, 2023|

It’s been 50 years since the sociologist Mark Granovetter published his landmark study celebrating “weak ties” — the casual everyday relationships that add to the stronger connections with family and close friends and make a critical contribution to human well-being in any town or city. Weak ties are the informal contacts we make at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the bank, in church and in a whole array of other places we frequent. They bring order and opportunity to our lives. But the most important locus of these contacts may be one we tend to forget about: the plain [...]