Hillsboro votes to allow chickens

14 Friday, April 14

Hillsboro votes to allow chickens

info2023-04-14T09:47:38-05:00April 14th, 2023|

In the March 21 Hillsboro City Council meeting, the council heard from S. Lincoln resident Ronald Wilkins who recently moved to Hillsboro. “My wife and I would like to have chickens, but in asking around we found out they were not allowed in town limits. We would like to ask the council to change that.” Wilkins presented a well-planned out and lengthy slideshow including research he had done in the county regarding other towns’ rules for chickens. Based on the information he presented, the council agreed to have an ordinance drawn up for them to vote on in the April 4 [...]

14 Friday, April 14

Kansas governor signs bills dealing with wind turbine lighting, Evergy charges

info2023-04-14T09:46:53-05:00April 14th, 2023|

Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has signed a bill meant to reduce the appearance of blinking red lights on wind turbines. The law requires the installation of wind turbine light systems that are still visible to pilots but don’t ruin the night sky for Kansans living next to wind farms. There are about 4,000 wind turbines in the state. The House passed Senate Bill 49 118-6 in late March, after the Senate passed the bill 39-1 in February. The lights are meant to prevent low-flying aircraft from flying into wind turbines, but several lawmakers have said the lighting is an [...]

14 Friday, April 14

City of Atchison vs. Atchison County Sheriff

info2023-04-14T09:41:54-05:00April 14th, 2023|

The sheriff or the keeper of the jail in any county of the state shall receive all prisoners committed to the sheriff's or jailer's custody by the authority of the United States or by the authority of any city located in such county and shall keep them safely in the same manner as prisoners of the county until discharged in accordance with law. ... K.S.A. 19-1930(a) requires a county sheriff to accept detainees without exceptions. This court cannot rewrite the provision to include an exception where the sheriff of a county believes a detainee requires medical attention prior to being booked [...]

14 Friday, April 14

Groundwater supply looks different across Kansas, a critical source during the drought

info2023-04-14T09:30:02-05:00April 14th, 2023|

A lack of rain across the state means more reliance on groundwater. That resource is now critical for farms and homes across Kansas. Experts say the amount of groundwater is completely different depending on where you are in Kansas. Some advancements have made irrigation more efficient. Mark Rude, the Executive Director of Groundwater Management District 3 in southwest Kansas, says less water from the sky means taking more from the ground, especially in western Kansas, where they rely heavily on groundwater. Source: KSN-TV

14 Friday, April 14

Belle Plaine officially recognizes Quiet Zones with ribbon cutting… 50-plus train horns have now been silenced

info2023-04-14T09:43:07-05:00April 14th, 2023|

It was nearly a decade-long effort to create the federally regulated Quiet Zone, but as of April 5, the trains are a muted sound from the distant crossings outside the city. The 98-decibel horns are silenced as they travel through the three crossings impacting the community’s west side and Belle Plaine Township. The effort to create the quiet zone began with a joint effort of the Bartlett Arboretum and the City of Belle Plaine. The committee was fortunate to have the assistance of Mike McKay, a retired civil engineer whose entire career centered on noise and zoning on both the local [...]

14 Friday, April 14

Overland Park gets $1.35M to make College and Metcalf area more walkable

info2023-04-14T09:50:49-05:00April 14th, 2023|

Overland Park’s plan to eventually make the area around College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue more pedestrian-friendly has received its first major shot of funding. The city announced earlier this month that the Mid-America Regional Council approved $1.35 million in federal funds to go towards making the highly trafficked area around the Overland Park Convention Center more walkable for residents, workers and visitors who come there for events and conferences. Source: Prairie Village Post

14 Friday, April 14

Large wildfire breaks out in Washington County, Kansas near Haddam

info2023-04-14T09:26:14-05:00April 14th, 2023|

Multiple agencies in Kansas are working to put out multiple wildfires that broke out across the state on Tuesday, including one not far from Nebraska’s southern border. Thursday evening, the Kansas Forest Service said they were responding to a fire that broke out in the afternoon hours in western Washington County, south of Haddam. KFS says taskforce members, two tankers, and multiple KFS personnel were at the scene, along with other volunteer firefighters. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management was also assisting with the response, according to KFS. Dry conditions and high winds are mainly to blame. Source: KAKE - News

14 Friday, April 14

Friday marks anniversary of 2012 Wichita tornado

info2023-04-14T09:23:40-05:00April 14th, 2023|

It's been 11 years since a tornado ripped through parts of southeast Wichita, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and businesses. The tornado formed over southern parts of Haysville the evening of April 14, 2012. The National Weather Service reports it produced up to EF-3 damage as it continued northeast. The tornado was a half-mile wide as it moved across Oaklawn, where some of the heaviest damage was inflicted to the Pinair Mobile Home Park, according to KAKE archives. Assessment teams rated the tornado an EF-3 as it passed through Oaklawn. Source: KAKE - News

14 Friday, April 14

Fed Official Backs Higher Interest Rates as Banking Stresses Fade

info2023-04-14T09:21:58-05:00April 14th, 2023|

A Federal Reserve official said he was prepared to approve another interest-rate increase because recent banking-system stresses haven’t produced a significant pullback in lending while high inflation remains supported by strong growth. “Monetary policy needs to be tightened further,” Fed governor Christopher Waller said in a speech Friday in San Antonio. “I would welcome signs of moderating demand, but until they appear and I see inflation moving meaningfully and persistently down toward our 2% target, I believe there is still more work to do.” Source: WSJ.com: US Business

14 Friday, April 14

Homes for Wichita’s future: Is the area ready to house more workers?

info2023-04-14T09:17:28-05:00April 14th, 2023|

William Ott and Kelsey Debes flew into Wichita from Florida in March to spend two days house shopping after Ott accepted a job at Textron Aviation. They fell in love with one home and made an offer, then jetted back to their rental in Tampa. By the time they landed, the seller had moved onto another buyer. "We knew this is a seller's market," Debes said. "We were not under any ideas that that's not the case. But that really humbled us pretty quickly.” Source: Wichita Business Journal