Proposal to revamp pay structure for Lawrence teachers calls for $3M to increase salaries

The Lawrence school board will soon get its first look at a proposal to revamp the pay structure for teachers and provide about $3 million in pay increases — amounting to an average raise of about $3,000. Should it move forward, the proposed new salary schedule would increase the earning potential for the district’s most experienced teachers, as well as address other problematic areas of the current salary schedule. As the Journal-World previously reported, a committee that has been studying the issue said that the district has been losing teachers at particular times in their careers due to the structure of the district’s pay schedule, which maxes out after 13 years of service. There are also other times in teachers’ careers where the schedule falls behind pay offered by comparable districts in the area.
Source: LJWorld

2023-05-07T09:01:41-05:00May 7, 2023|News|

Zoning change triggers neighbors: Proposal for more senior housing in Topeka will get a closer look

Topeka’s mayor and city council asked for further analysis late Tuesday when faced with a proposed North Topeka zoning change supported by the Topeka Planning Commission but opposed by residents of the area involved. The measure’s passage would help clear the way for Eugene & Paramore LLC to carry out its proposed project to build affordable duplexes and fourplexes, which it intends to primarily rent out to senior citizens. The mayor and council voted to send the proposal back to the planning commission and direct that body to look at four potential concerns raised by neighbors.
Source: CJonline

2023-05-04T11:31:36-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

Cultures of Garden City to be showcased at multicultural event Saturday

The people and their different cultures of those that make up southwest Kansas will be honored at the third annual Cinco de Mayo Multicultural Community Celebration this Saturday at Stevens Park. Marco Rodriguez, secretary for the Cultural Empowerment and Development Foundation’s Multicultural Community Celebration Committee, said the event has been a lot of work to put together, it’s all done by volunteers from the community, but he’s really excited for it.
Source: GC Telegram

2023-05-04T11:30:27-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

W. Kansas town reminisces 50 years after being featured in ‘Paper Moon’

The town of Wilson is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the movie “Paper Moon.” Locations in the Ellsworth County town served as settings for the movie and some locals are in the movie as extras. This Friday, May 5, the Midland Hotel in Wilson is hosting the 50th anniversary celebration for the movie starring actor Ryan O’Neil and his daughter, actress Tatum O’Neil. “The Midland is very lucky in that we played a major role in what happened in the film, so we can have that here,” said Wilson Tourism Hub Director Melinda Merrill. The hotel was used for filming and much more.
Source: KWCH

2023-05-04T11:24:54-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

Fed increases rates a quarter point and signals a potential end to hikes

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved its 10th interest rate increase in just a little over a year and dropped a tentative hint that the current tightening cycle is at an end. In a unanimous decision widely expected by markets, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee raised its benchmark borrowing rate by 0.25 percentage point. The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but feeds through to many consumer debt products such as mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

2023-05-04T10:37:59-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

GPT in local government: The age of hyper productivity in government has begun

Seems like everyone is talking about ChatGPT nowadays. It’s the hot new buzzword, and the source for anything from delighting examples of writing rhymed poems about any topic, to people worried it’s the harbinger of doom. GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a machine that generates human-like text based on a given text. GPT is pre-trained on vast amounts of data to develop a comprehensive understanding of language patterns and structures, enabling it to generate coherent and contextually relevant responses that are mostly accurate but not always. However, it is surprisingly good at things like summarizing text and data tables, supplying human-like answers to casual questions in a chat, and even describing images and can even pass the LSAT exam for you. There have been a few versions of GPT out there, and the most advanced version that exists at the time of writing is GPT version 4, or GPT-4.
Source: ELGL

2023-05-04T10:35:47-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

Governor Kelly Announces $30 Million to Increase High-Speed Internet Availability

Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced a new program aimed at helping Kansas communities that lack high-speed internet. The Lasting Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (LINC) program will provide $30 million in competitive funding opportunities to build the infrastructure needed for more homes and businesses to access broadband.   “This investment builds on my administration’s commitment to bring critical high-speed internet to every corner of the state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These funds will ensure that reliable internet is available regardless of location so every Kansan can participate in the global economy.”
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

2023-05-04T10:31:22-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

Derby City Council, staff work on honing next sales tax ballot question

Starting in March, staff and the Derby City Council began to take measures to shape the ballot question regarding a new sales tax (with the current Derby Difference sales tax to expire in 2024).  With the council in general agreement to pursue a new 1% sales tax to be voted on in the 2023 general election, staff brought forward three usage options for where exactly to dedicate those funds in the city, which the council considered at its April 25 meeting.
Source: Derby Informer | News

2023-05-04T10:29:27-05:00May 4, 2023|News|

City commission approves design contract for $10 million fire station project

Preliminary design work on a proposed $10 million fire station build and renovation project in Emporia was given the greenlight Wednesday, when Emporia City Commissioners approved a design contract between the city and Lenexa-based firm Archimages for architectural services. Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck said Archimages was one of three firms that submitted requests for qualification for the project, which will move Fire Station No. 1 from the southeast side of the Civic Auditorium into a newly constructed building — possibly in the 500 block of Market Street.
Source: Emporia Gazette

2023-05-04T10:26:37-05:00May 4, 2023|News|
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