Rural Kansas school district spared in lopsided vote

3 Thursday, August 3

Rural Kansas school district spared in lopsided vote

info2023-08-03T10:13:24-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Residents of a rural central Kansas school district overwhelmingly voted to keep their district intact, defeating an attempt to dissolve the district in anger over a school closure. Unofficial election results from the Aug. 1 primary show 587 people voted in favor of disorganization and 1,179 voters in Central Plains Unified School District 112 voted against the change. “For Tuesday in August, in a heatwave, this was a huge turnout,” said Denise Schmidt, a Claflin resident, educator and member of the United USD 112 campaign. Ellsworth County Clerk Shelly Vopat, who oversees the county’s elections, estimated turnout was about 60%. The county usually sees [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

Lenexa acquired this historic cemetery last year. What happens now?

info2023-08-03T10:11:27-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

For generations, volunteers with the nonprofit Lenexa Cemetery Association managed the historic cemetery off Pflumm Road and 87th Street Parkway in east Lenexa. The Lenexa Cemetery, founded in 1872, is the final resting place of several prominent Lenexa community leaders through the generations, including members of the Legler family and some Civil War veterans. The city has now taken over the property and is shifting attention towards maintaining and potentially enhancing the site into the future. Over the years, upkeep of the cemetery and its long-term management grew to be a challenge for the all-volunteer cemetery association. Members of the organization’s board [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

Another move: Sedgwick County thinking of buying this downtown building for admin offices

info2023-08-03T11:51:26-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Sedgwick County government is considering purchasing Murfin Plaza at 250 N. Water for $7.75 million as the new home for its administrative offices. The County Commission on Wednesday unanimously agreed to pay $25,000 in earnest money. The county has 120 days to inspect the 82,577-square-foot property and determine whether to move forward with the purchase. The government has been leasing space at the Ruffin Building on North Broadway at a rate of $58,502.67 a month since moving out of the county courthouse last year to create more room for courts there. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

3 Thursday, August 3

Prairie Village – from farms to suburbs

info2023-08-03T11:52:17-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

For generations the area that is now Prairie Village was part of the communally held ancestral hunting territory of the Kanza and Osage tribes. In the 1820s, the federal government removed the Kanza and Osage people to reservations elsewhere in what is now Kansas. The government then removed the Shawnee from their ancestral territory and placed them on a reservation that spanned modern-day Johnson County until 1854. Congress then formed the Kansas Territory and again removed the Shawnee. The influence of Indigenous people and cultures remains today in the names of streets, parks, and geographical features throughout the county. After Congress [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

How local educators are tackling the fentanyl crisis

info2023-08-03T10:04:24-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Local educators and organizations are focusing on prevention and awareness when it comes to the fentanyl crisis in Johnson County. Educators and organization leaders convened for a roundtable on Tuesday morning at Shawnee Mission West hosted by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas’ Third District. Like previous fentanyl roundtable discussions, Tuesday’s summit was closed to the public. In a press conference that immediately followed, Davids said the discussion focused largely on fentanyl education and awareness. Superintendents from USD 232 in De Soto and Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools were present, as well as administrators from Shawnee Mission and Olathe school districts. [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

New book documents Leawood’s 75-year history

info2023-08-03T11:52:39-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

A book detailing a quarter-century of Leawood’s history is turning a final page. City officials say “Leawood; The Journey Continues,” will hit the presses this month — coming out in time for the city’s 75th anniversary celebration. The book serves as a second edition of the city’s first history book, “Leawood; A Portrait in Time” — which was penned by local author Ann Morris. Residents can buy the second edition either with a copy of the first history book or by itself. Source: Prairie Village Post

3 Thursday, August 3

Public can no longer pull most items from Lawrence City Commission consent agenda

info2023-08-03T10:01:34-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Members of the public can no longer request to pull most items from the Lawrence City Commission’s consent agenda during meetings, commissioners voted Tuesday. A governing body’s consent agenda generally includes a list of items that are considered routine and are approved in one vote. Some bodies, such as the Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission, allow commissioners themselves as well as members of the public to ask that an item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion; the Lawrence school board allows board members and the superintendent to remove items from the consent agenda. The change approved Tuesday [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

County: New ambulance will be hard to get

info2023-08-03T09:58:45-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Buying a new ambulance isn’t going to be a simple process, Allen County commissioners learned this week. That’s because supply chain issues have made for a lengthy wait to receive the units, Terry Call told them. He retired as the county’s EMS and zoning director, but returned part-time to handle zoning issues. Call researched ambulance options after Michael Burnett, Iola’s EMS director, gave a report about equipment needs a couple of weeks ago. Under the terms of a new contract between the city and county, commissioners agreed to provide ambulances and associated equipment. It likely will be more than a year — maybe even [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

WaterOne has a new general manager

info2023-08-03T11:53:10-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

WaterOne has a new permanent leader. The nonprofit water utility’s board last month voted to confirm Shaun Pietig as WaterOne’s new general manager, overseeing all the operations of its 272-square-mile service territory in Johnson County. Pietig first came to WaterOne in 2007 as a project engineer and has done a number of jobs within the organization, most recently serving as Director of Distribution. Pietig will be the fifth general manager in WaterOne’s history and the first woman ever in that position. She will formally take over her new role on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Previous General Manager Mike Armstrong retired in December [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

County seeks solution for excess tires

info2023-08-03T09:56:17-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

A company that recycles used tires has been dumping more than 200,000 tires at the Allen County Landfill over the past six months, prompting county leaders to consider changes to the way it handles or charges for tire collection. Shane Lamb with FMS/United Tire told commissioners he needs to dump shredded tires at the landfill until he’s able to build a facility that can convert the material into fine, crumb rubber that is a highly desirable recycled product used by many industries. Lamb operates out of a facility at the former Lehigh Portland Cement plant. Since February, Lamb’s company has dumped 1,980.57 tons of [...]