City of Wichita has given out over $100k in rebates

On Jan. 10, the Wichita City Council approved $100,000 in rebates for citizens who have bought water- and energy-efficient devices in 2023. That number was increased to $125,000 on July 5, as the City Council approved additional funds if the $100,000 was exhausted before Oct. 31. City officials say so far, the City of Wichita has approved rebates for 1,242 water-efficient devices, totaling $112,960.06. The Lawn Care Rebate Program is intended to lower the use of gas and diesel-powered lawn equipment and provides a $50 rebate for residents who purchase new non-combustion lawn equipment and recycle their old combustion equipment. City officials say the City of Wichita has used around $300 for the lawn rebate. It’s possible that the lower number is due to the lack of rain and as a result the decreased need to maintain lawns.
Source: KSN-TV

2023-08-08T07:46:10-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Home sales are down in Kansas, but you can still expect to pay more in Wichita

Homebuyers in Wichita should expect to navigate a “very competitive” market, according to one real estate site, even as sales slump statewide compared to last year. Tight inventory has driven prices up in many areas and contributed to a seller’s market. Wichita’s median home listing price is $275,000 as of June, which is a 14.6% increase from last year, real estate site Realtor.com reports. Average Wichita homes were selling for about 3% above asking price in June, and most homes are selling after about 28 days on the market. The average home value in Wichita was $186,579 in June, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Home values are up 5.9% in Wichita compared to last year.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

2023-08-08T07:46:20-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Kingman power outages bring community together

Power outages hit large parts of Kingman during the hottest part of the day yesterday and the day before, but the incidents have only brought the community closer together. The outages hit most of the northwestern part of the city, which is where Julie Wollen lives. She was coming home from work with her husband Tuesday when she noticed something was off. “We came into the house, I’m like, ‘It’s warm in here,'” Wollen said. “My husband’s like, ‘Well, it’s 103 degrees out,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, we have no power.” The City set up a cooling center for affected residents and free rides to help them get there. “One of our city bus drivers came into work and started running the public taxi,” said Adrian Harrel, the City of Kingman’s mayor.
Source: KSN-TV

2023-08-04T11:02:04-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Despite old struggles, can new opportunities in Wyandotte County ‘make this place thrive’?

Wyandotte County seems poised for change. World Cup games are coming to the region in 2026 and a new master plan for the county is in the works, but the area still sees many challenges. Those include affordable housing, gentrification and residents’ historically strained relationship with county government and police. KCUR’s Up To Date broadcasted live Wednesday from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City’s Breidenthal Unit in Kansas City, Kansas, to discuss the community and its future. For many residents, recent momentum and economic opportunity for Wyandotte County is overshadowed by what work still remains.
Source: KCUR

2023-08-04T11:00:37-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

The new Joint Fentanyl Impact Team seized 5,000 fake oxycodone pills in Pittsburg, Kan.

The Joint Fentanyl Impact Team executed a search warrant in Pittsburg, Kansas leading to the arrest of of two people and the seizure of 5,000 fake oxycodone suspected of containing fentanyl, a large amount of cash and multiple guns with ammunition. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said the JFIT along with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburg Police and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office executed the search warrant on Thursday and booked 39-year-old Horace Wright and 43-year-old Amanda Lee into the Crawford County Jail. Wright and Lee were both arrested for possession of opiates, opium, or narcotic drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug sale paraphernalia, criminal possession of firearm, and aggravated child endangerment.
Source: KAKE – News

2023-08-04T10:59:09-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Valley Center named Purple Heart City

Following in the footsteps of Derby and Haysville, Valley Center become the third city in Sedgwick County in the span of roughly one year to officially be declared a Purple Heart City. An official proclamation was made at the Sedgwick County Commission meeting on Aug. 2. The official proclamation serves as a statement of support for military personnel, veterans and families of those who have served through the Armed Services in recalling one of the oldest military decorations still given out. Along with Derby and Haysville, Valley Center joins the cities of Holton, Leavenworth, Netawaka and Topeka; Leavenworth and Jackson counties; and the State of Kansas as part of the Purple Heart Trail in Kansas.
Source: Derby Informer | Area

2023-08-04T10:57:47-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Kansas hits all-time lowest birth rate

Kansas documented the state’s lowest-ever recorded birth rate for the 2022 year, according to a preliminary report. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s annual report shows the number of births in the state dropped slightly from 2021. Last year’s report documented 34,697 births in 2021, with a birth rate of 11.8 per 1,000 people. The preliminary 2022 report recorded 34,376 births across the state, with a birth rate of 11.7 per 1,000 people. Seven counties accounted for about 60% of the state’s births for the year: Douglas, Geary, Johnson, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte. Unmarried mothers made up 36% of all births with 12,370 reported. The rate of births to teenagers between the ages of 15-19 remained at 4.7%, unchanged from the previous year’s rate.
Source: The Iola Register

2023-08-04T10:56:30-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

City Council recommends more WPD power to suspend club licenses

Wichita City Council is recommending ordinances to give police more authority to suspend the licenses of clubs where violence has taken place. This after a shooting at the City Nightz club in Old Town left 11 people injured on Sunday, July 2nd. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan issued a 30-day suspension of the entertainment license for the club, which had been the site of twelve previous violent incidents in 2023 alone. Three of those incidents involved guns. Sullivan said the shooting wouldn’t have happened if patrons were properly screened before entering the club. City Council claims current licensing ordinances to suspend or revoke such licenses are inconsistent; specifically citing the method of notice given, the official who requests a suspension, and the length of suspension.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

2023-08-04T10:54:01-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Munis follow global bond sell off, outflows near $1B

Municipals sold off Thursday, following U.S. Treasury losses after more economic data suggested the U.S. economy is strong enough to potentially warrant more rate hikes in the fall. Equities ended down. Ahead of Friday’s jobs report, Wall Street is “watching a global bond market selloff get uglier as U.S. stocks waver ahead of massive earnings from Apple and Amazon,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at The Americas OANDA. Coupled with the Bank of England signaling more tightening is ahead, recent economic data has confirmed the U.S. economy remains resilient, he said, which fanned more concerns over Fed policy uncertainty. “Both initial jobless claims still remain low and the ISM services employment component supports the argument that the Fed might need to deliver more tightening in November,” he noted.
Source: The Bond Buyer

2023-08-04T10:50:53-05:00August 4, 2023|News|

Shawnee Names New Finance Director

The City of Shawnee and City Manager Doug Gerber announced on Wednesday the promotion of Sean Rocco as the City’s new Finance Director following a nation-wide search. Rocco has served as Interim Finance Director since May of this year. “Sean has done an outstanding job taking the City through the 2024 budget process and consistently proved himself to be up to the task of Finance Director through his day-to-day work and in every round of the interview process,” City Manager Doug Gerber said. Rocco joined the City of Shawnee in September of 2021 as Deputy Finance Director, after more than a decade in the private sector as an accounting coordinator, project controls analyst, and eight years with Bridgestone Americas as a Senior Field Auditor.
Source: What’s New News Summary

2023-08-03T11:49:11-05:00August 3, 2023|News|
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