Meet-and-greet planned for Ottawa city manager candidates

21 Tuesday, February 21

Meet-and-greet planned for Ottawa city manager candidates

info2023-02-22T08:29:20-06:00February 21st, 2023|

Ottawa residents will get a chance to meet the individuals vying to be the next city manager during a meet-and-greet event next week. The reception is scheduled from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Bottle House, 204 S. Walnut. Commissioners will spend two days, Feb. 28 and March 1, to determine who will be one step closer to filling the vacancy. Ottawa City Manager Richard Nienstedt announced his intent to retire in mid-October after 15 years spent managing the city’s day-to-day operations. His last day will be March 31. Source: The Ottawa Herald

21 Tuesday, February 21

First roundabout in southwest Kansas, resurfacing project to begin in Ford County

info2023-02-21T23:03:34-06:00February 21st, 2023|

The first Southwest Kansas highway roundabout and a resurfacing project to begin in Ford County. Traffic changes are scheduled to start Monday, March 6, for two roadway projects in Ford County. The first project will take place at the U.S. 56/283/400/South 2nd Avenue intersection to construct a roundabout. Then, the second is a resurfacing project that will extend from the 112 Road/U.S. 56/400 intersection one mile south to the intersection of 112 Road/Outlaw Road and then extend one mile west to the U.S. 283/Outlaw Road intersection. Source: Western Kansas News

21 Tuesday, February 21

City extends funding agreements with WIBA, Greater Wichita Partnership

info2023-02-21T23:01:27-06:00February 21st, 2023|

Wichita's City Council voted Tuesday to renew agreements and provide funding to two organizations geared toward supporting businesses and growing the economy. The Council approved $400,000 annually for the next three years for the Greater Wichita Partnership, along with $100,000 for one year for the Wichita Independent Business Association, or WIBA. Source: Wichita Business Journal

21 Tuesday, February 21

Airport touts grant programs, new routes in contracting service consultant

info2023-02-21T23:00:00-06:00February 21st, 2023|

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport has contracted a consulting firm the airport's leader says could help add new routes from the city and get Wichita in the game on a federal grant program. The Wichita City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved signing Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting to a three-year deal for consulting services, continuing a previous partnership between the airport and the firm. Source: Wichita Business Journal

21 Tuesday, February 21

Wichita changes zoning code to increase capacity of home daycares

info2023-02-21T22:58:34-06:00February 21st, 2023|

In an effort to improve access to child care, Wichita's City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to increase the capacity of home daycares from 10 to 12 children. More specifically, the vote was to approve an amendment to the Unified Zoning Code, which is shared by Wichita and Sedgwick County and includes regulations for home occupations and daycares. The effort is in response to a desperate need for child-care availability in the Wichita area that officials say has a significant impact on the local workforce. Source: Wichita Business Journal

21 Tuesday, February 21

Investors Worry Too-Hot Economy Will Put Fed on More Aggressive Rate Path

info2023-02-21T07:00:00-06:00February 21st, 2023|

The U.S. economy doesn’t look anywhere close to a recession. Investors are starting to worry that may ultimately be bad news for markets.... In ordinary circumstances, that run of strong economic data should be good news for markets as well. Yet investors have been viewing almost everything the past year through the lens of how it might affect the Fed’s interest-rate policy. Their growing fear is that if the U.S. economy remains too hot, it will force the Fed to raise interest rates higher and hold them there for longer than they anticipate. That would raise the chances of a sharp [...]

20 Monday, February 20

Bill banning plastic bag restrictions runs into Senate hurdle

info2023-02-20T22:27:06-06:00February 20th, 2023|

A bill barring local governments from regulating plastic grocery bags and other material ran into a roadblock in the Senate on Thursday morning. The Senate Commerce Committee voted down the bill that had been backed by the business community, including the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the state restaurant association and the National Federation of Independent Business. It was the second consecutive year that the ban ran into difficulty although it has had widespread support from lawmakers in the past. Source: Sunflower State Journal

20 Monday, February 20

$350M project in Newton will be region’s largest private investment in 5 years

info2023-02-20T22:25:44-06:00February 20th, 2023|

Newton's City Commission on Tuesday approved a development agreement for the construction of a new manufacturing facility for GAF Materials, a New Jersey-based roofing manufacturer with 26 plants across the U.S. Local economic development leaders in the area have called it the largest private sector investment in the Wichita region in the last five years. Under the agreement, Newton will provide up to $350 million in industrial revenue bonds, including a sales tax exemption on construction materials and equipment, as well as a 100% property tax exemption for 10 years. In order to receive the incentives, GAF must invest at least $75 [...]

20 Monday, February 20

Governor Kelly Announces EMP Shield Plans to Build $1.9 Billion, 1,200-Job Computer Chip Manufacturing Facility in Coffey County

info2023-02-21T06:56:56-06:00February 20th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that EMP Shield, an industry leader in protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses, plans to invest $1.9 billion in a computer chip manufacturing facility in Burlington. The facility will create more than 1,200 jobs averaging $66,000 annually. EMP Shield will build its facility on 300 acres in a secure campus located at Silicon Prairie Industrial Park. The company will be joined by six out-of-state suppliers, resulting in an additional 1,000 jobs created in Coffey County. ... EMP Shield plans to have four production lines operating in approximately 235,000 square feet of facilities in the new [...]

20 Monday, February 20

Kansas governor: $1.9 billion, 1,200-job computer chip plant to be built in Coffey County

info2023-02-20T22:23:05-06:00February 20th, 2023|

A company known for protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses Monday unveiled plans to invest $1.9 billion in a computer chip manufacturing facility in Burlington capable of employing an estimated 1,200 people when fully operational. Gov. Laura Kelly said EMP Shield would locate the secure chip-manufacturing facility on 300 acres in the Silicon Prairie Industrial Park. That plant would collaborate with six out-of-state suppliers capable of adding 1,000 jobs within Coffey County southeast of Topeka. “Right now, computer chips — the technology that powers everything from cars to smartphones to broadband — are mostly made in China. That’s a problem,” [...]