18 Wednesday, January 18

Sedgwick County employees to get one more holiday this year

2023-01-19T07:41:15-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Sedgwick County Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to restore the Presidents’ Day holiday in February to the calendar for county employees. Commissioners had removed the holiday in November in order to add Juneteenth to the calendar. Commissioner Ryan Baty said it’s important to restore the holiday to show employees that county leaders are concerned about morale and stability of staff. Baty said it makes financial sense to restore the Presidents’ Day holiday. Commissioners David Dennis and Jim Howell are concerned about the $800,000 impact of adding the holiday, in light of projected deficits for 2024 and beyond. Commissioners agreed to make the change [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

Markets fully price in quarter-point interest rate hike in February as inflation slows

2023-01-18T23:05:46-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Markets are nearly certain the Federal Reserve next month will take another step down in the pace of its interest rate increases. Pricing Wednesday morning pointed to a 94.3% probability of a 0.25 percentage point hike at the central bank's two-day meeting that concludes Feb. 1, according to CME Group data. If that holds, it would take the Fed's benchmark borrowing rate to a targeted range of 4.5%-4.75%. While the probability is little changed since late last week, economic data Wednesday helped solidify the idea that after a succession of aggressive hikes — four consecutive three-quarter point hikes in 2022, at [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

State to apply for federal dollars to extend AMTRAK line to Newton

2023-01-18T23:04:00-06:00January 18th, 2023|

The next step to Newton becoming a rail hub is in the works. It’s just not been completed as fast as originally expected. A feasibility study to update costs and needs to extend Amtrak service from Oklahoma City to Newton was expected to be completed in December 2022. The study updates a 2012 feasibility plan and will be used in a competitive federal grant process for $7 billion allocated to long-distance rail projects. “The feasibility study is still in progress and not complete or available,” stated Tim Potter, a public affairs manager with KDOT. Grant applications for the Corridor Program are [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

Peabody library featured in podcast

2023-01-19T07:53:03-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Peabody Township Library is featured in the first Sunflower State Small Libraries podcast of 2023. In a 32-minute program, Rodger Charles, librarian since 2011, talks about the library and the difference it makes in the community. Although Peabody’s population is about 900, the library serves a township population of 1,100. Established in 1874, it was the first free public library in Kansas. The town’s namesake, F. H. Peabody, donated the first building, which now sits behind the library building, Charles said. In 1914, the library got a Carnegie Foundation grant and built the present building. The building is on the National [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

Fly In at Hugoton Municipal Airport

2023-01-18T23:01:29-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Saturday, January 14 was the fourth annual fly-in of the EAA Chapter 377 hosted by Matt and Maddie Rome. Twelve planes arrived in Hugoton for the monthly meeting with 30 people attending. The Chapter meets every month for a fly-in and every January it is in Hugoton. Next month the fly-in will take place in Liberal. Source: Hugoton Hermes News

18 Wednesday, January 18

Arkansas City police welcome new support K9

2023-01-19T07:49:16-06:00January 18th, 2023|

A new four-legged member of the Arkansas City Police Department has been brought in to help support the officers and first responders. The department has brought on a new K-9 named Sal. The 8-month-old bulldog will be sent off for specialized training in the next month. The department plans to use Sal to help with community outreach event such as Popsicle Patrol, DARE Camp, National Night Out and more. "Plans are in the works for K-9 Sal to be a community resource. His badge number is 988. He will be a constant reminder that help is only three numbers away when [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

Kansas law enforcement say legislation should be passed on fentanyl, mental health issues

2023-01-18T22:59:21-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Kansas law enforcement officials have sounded the alarm about fentanyl and mental health crises across the state, saying fentanyl is now a greater threat than methamphetamines. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeffrey Easter said he is still seeing a surplus of inmates suffering from mental illness, waiting in jail for long periods of time in order to receive treatment. During a House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee meeting Tuesday, he urged lawmakers to find solutions. Community hospitals and jails in western Kansas have had to pick up the slack, housing mentally unstable patients without state reimbursement because of shortages of mental health care [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

WFD firefighters will carry Narcan, Whipple says

2023-01-18T22:58:17-06:00January 18th, 2023|

A tweet from Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple says that firefighters with the Wichita Fire Department (WFD) will carry and distribute Narcan to victims of suspected opioid overdoses. "This policy change, combined with funding will save lives as we continue our fight against the fentanyl crisis," reads the tweet. A town hall meeting hosted by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office and Wichita Police Department last week highlighted some of the dangers of fentanyl in Wichita. The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center says the number of fentanyl cases has grown exponentially. Source: KSN-TV

18 Wednesday, January 18

New K-9s will serve in Saline County schools

2023-01-19T07:48:38-06:00January 18th, 2023|

Two new K-9s are joining the Saline County Sheriff's Office to serve in public schools. The dogs are not the typical police dogs who assist officers in investigating crime. They are therapy dogs. Saline County Deputies Tyler Casteel and Braden Long recently traveled to Brevard County, Florida, where they trained with their new K-9 partners at the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Paws and Stripes College. The program uses rescued dogs who are then trained by inmates under the supervision of professional trainers to provide therapy dogs at no cost. Therapy dogs can provide a variety of assistance, including helping to keep [...]

18 Wednesday, January 18

Broadband access to improve in 15 Kansas counties, here’s where

2023-01-18T22:56:26-06:00January 18th, 2023|

More than $40 million has been awarded to service providers in Kansas to extend high-speed internet across several underserved counties. Cassie Nichols, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Governor, said a total of $44.5 million has been distributed to nine service providers to extend internet access to 18,468 locations in 15 counties. This will be the third and final award phase of the Kansas Capital Project Funds (CPF) Broadband Infrastructure Program. Nichols said the CPF program provides funding to make broadband connections in critical areas of the state that don't have access to high-speed internet. The $83.5 million total CPF [...]

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