These small Kansas towns are rising again by tapping a new market: Craft beer

10 Monday, April 10

These small Kansas towns are rising again by tapping a new market: Craft beer

info2023-04-10T12:15:38-05:00April 10th, 2023|

One might also assume that Courtland, with just 294 residents, is the smallest town in Kansas that can boast its own brewery. But Sylvan Grove, about 45 minutes west, is smaller and is home to Plainsmen Brewing Co., which operates inside the popular Fly Boy restaurant. And an hour north, in Washington (population: 1,065), Kansas Territory Brewing Co. is home to a taproom and high-tech production facility that will likely soon be the largest in the state. As it turns out, the thirst for craft beer isn’t confined to city drinkers: Seven breweries in Kansas are open, or are soon to [...]

10 Monday, April 10

De Soto plans ahead for 3,000-acre solar farm near Panasonic construction

info2023-04-10T10:04:32-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Nearly a third of the 9,035-acre Astra Enterprise Park could become De Soto’s first utility solar farm. De Soto has worked with Savion LLC, a Kansas City-based solar developer, since late 2021 to evaluate and assess a prospective project. Back then, officials said utility solar wouldn’t be in the cards for at least five years because of regulatory approvals. However, they anticipated that a solar project would generate significant electric franchise fees and local property taxes. Source: Kansas City Business Journal

10 Monday, April 10

Kansas Senate says yes to state park in Iola

info2023-04-10T12:16:32-05:00April 10th, 2023|

A proposal to create a new state park in Iola took another big step forward Thursday when Kansas senators voted overwhelmingly in favor of what would become Lehigh Portland State Park. The Senate’s passage means the bill goes back to the Kansas House of Representatives — perhaps as early as Thursday evening — for a final vote before the measure would go to Gov. Laura Kelly. The Senate’s bill differed slightly from a similar bill approved previously by the House in that it was combined with another bill granting free permanent hunting and fishing licenses to disabled veterans. Sen. Caryn Tyson, [...]

10 Monday, April 10

Kansas Legislature packages new flat tax rate with quicker end to food tax

info2023-04-10T12:16:54-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Kansas lawmakers passed a tax cut package in the early Friday morning hours that fuses a flat tax rate for individual income with an accelerated reduction in the state sales tax on food, corporate tax breaks and residential property tax relief. The policies assembled into Senate Bill 169 add up to $1.3 billion in decreased state tax collections over the next three years, with more than half of the cost associated with the flat tax. The bill eliminates the sales tax on food at the start of next year. “To me, it’s always a priority to get it back to taxpayers [...]

10 Monday, April 10

Progress continues on Justice Center in Great Bend

info2023-04-10T12:17:42-05:00April 10th, 2023|

The City of Great Bend’s new Justice Center slated for completion in August and the long-standing Expo I and II buildings that were just transferred to city ownership by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce are on the forefront for city officials. As for the Justice Center at 12th and Baker, it is starting to take shape, both inside and out, Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. The brickwork around the entrance area is underway and window installation will start Monday. Source: Great Bend Tribune

10 Monday, April 10

Property taxes climb 3.6% across U.S. to $339.8 billion

info2023-04-10T09:55:38-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Property taxes levied on single-family homes in the United States increased 3.6% to $339.8 billion in 2022, according to a new report from a real estate data firm. That's up from $328 billion in 2021. The 2022 increase was more than double the 1.6% growth in 2021, but smaller than the 5.4% increase in 2020, according to the report from ATTOM, a property data provider. The report also shows that the average tax on single-family homes in the U.S. increased 3% in 2022, to $3,901, after rising 1.8% in 2021. The latest average tax resulted in an effective tax rate nationwide [...]

10 Monday, April 10

With the Ogallala Aquifer drying up, Kansas considers limits to crop irrigation

info2023-04-10T09:53:47-05:00April 10th, 2023|

The Ogallala Aquifer has a visibility problem. It’s easy to see when drought, farm irrigation and city taps drain the great reservoirs of the Southwest. Bathtub rings paint the red rock walls surrounding Lake Powell as it shrinks, sounding alarm bells loud and clear. What about a body of water that’s locked away in a subterranean labyrinth of gravel and rock reaching more than 300 feet underground? The Ogallala may hold as much water as Lake Huron, but we can’t see it. And, problematically, that means we can’t see it disappear. Source: Wichita Eagle

10 Monday, April 10

Leawood proposes using federal funds to build pickleball courts

info2023-04-10T09:52:33-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Leawood is considering whether to use federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for more pickleball courts for public use. The Leawood City Council in a Monday work session reviewed multiple city projects — including installation of new pickleball courts — for which the city wants to pay with funds earmarked for its use from the American Rescue Plan Act. Source: Prairie Village Post

10 Monday, April 10

Prairie Village is 2nd JoCo city to adopt antisemitism measure

info2023-04-10T09:51:31-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Prairie Village is now the second Johnson County city to adopt a resolution formally defining antisemitism in response to an ongoing uptick in reported instances of antisemitic hate both nationally and around the Kansas City region. Leawood is the only other Johnson County city currently with such a resolution on the books, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a means for guiding public response to any potential acts of hate. Source: Prairie Village Post

10 Monday, April 10

Meet Doug Gerber, Shawnee’s new city manager

info2023-04-10T09:50:17-05:00April 10th, 2023|

Doug Gerber, a long-time municipal government administrator with Kansas roots, is Shawnee’s new city manager. Gerber, whose hiring was approved in February by an unanimous city council vote, was formally sworn in last week. His path to becoming a city manager wasn’t always a clear one. As a junior at Kansas State University, he was a chemistry major. Each day, he went to labs, and Gerber found he actually hated it. On a whim, he decided to take an introduction to public administration course, discovering a new path. Source: Prairie Village Post