Remembering Otis Morrow

5 Thursday, January 5

Remembering Otis Morrow

info2023-01-05T11:11:12-06:00January 5th, 2023|

Otis Morrow, a former city attorney and civic leader, died Monday and is being remembered as a kind, diplomatic figure who used his abilities to serve the institutions of Arkansas City. Karen Zeller said she is one of the many grieving at Morrow’s passing. She described Morrow as a community leader and a gentle man who had touched many through his law practice and civic involvement. “We’ve lost a supporter with a vast amount of city-wide knowledge,” she said. ... Morrow retired as city attorney in 2005 after 30 years in that job. He continued as counsel to the South Central [...]

5 Thursday, January 5

Hutchinson’s new city manager starts work

info2023-01-05T11:09:02-06:00January 5th, 2023|

Hutchinson's new city manager's career in public service started with one of the most essential ingredients for any municipality − water. That passion remains vital today. Kendal Francis, who holds both a bachelor's and master's degree from Kansas State University, has served as city administrator or manager for Lakin, Coffeeville and most recently Great Bend. But before thinking about obtaining his master's degree in public administration and wanting to manage a city, Francis worked as a water treatment plant operator in his hometown of Beloit. Source: Hutch News

5 Thursday, January 5

Flags Be Lowered to Half-Staff in Honor of Longtime Kansas Attorney General Robert Stephan

info2023-01-05T11:05:25-06:00January 5th, 2023|

In accordance with Executive Order #20-30, Governor Laura Kelly ordered flags throughout the State of Kansas to be flown at half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities immediately until the day of interment, in honor of former Kansas Attorney General Robert Stephan, who passed away Tuesday. Stephan entered the Kansas attorney general’s office in 1979 and held office for 16 years. “Today, I’ve ordered flags statewide be flown to honor Kansas’ longest-serving attorney general, Robert Stephan,” Governor Laura Kelly “I had the utmost respect for General Stephan’s advocacy and public service, and I appreciated his sage counsel. My condolences go [...]

5 Thursday, January 5

Municipal Bond Trends for January 4, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-01-05T10:37:34-06:00January 5th, 2023|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.

4 Wednesday, January 4

Fed officials see higher rates for ‘some time’ ahead

info2023-01-04T23:41:17-06:00January 4th, 2023|

Federal Reserve officials are committed to fighting inflation and expect higher interest rates to remain in place until more progress is made, according to minutes released Wednesday from the central bank's December meeting. At a meeting where policymakers raised their key interest rate another half a percentage point, they expressed the importance of keeping restrictive policy in place while inflation holds unacceptably high. Source: CNBC - Bonds

4 Wednesday, January 4

Governor Kelly speaks in Wichita on food tax reduction plan

info2023-01-04T23:39:00-06:00January 4th, 2023|

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made an appearance at a Wichita child care center on Wednesday to talk about her plan to bring the sales tax on groceries to an end. The governor said she is proud of a bill approved last year to phase out the state sales tax on groceries, but she said it doesn’t go far enough or fast enough. She talked about her “Axing Your Taxes” plan that will be submitted to the Kansas Legislature in the upcoming session. One phase of the plan will completely eliminate the sales tax on groceries. Another phase of the plan will [...]

4 Wednesday, January 4

Pandemic has caused pet overpopulation

info2023-01-04T23:31:19-06:00January 4th, 2023|

Animal shelters like Caring Hands Humane Shelter have been bursting at the seams with an oversupply of animals due to medical effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Cynthia Sutcliffe said the shelter had a population lower than normal during the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Many residents adopted a pet during the months when people were cooped up at home. She said another consequence of the pandemic was that all supplies related to spaying neutering were diverted to medical use for humans for about six months. She said veterinarians were unable to obtain surgical equipment. Caring Hands couldn’t [...]

4 Wednesday, January 4

Harvey County Commissioners send bitcoin-mining decision back to planning commission

info2023-01-05T10:59:14-06:00January 4th, 2023|

The Board of Harvey County Commissioners voted Tuesday to have the Harvey County Planning Commission rehear its Dec. 6 decision that denied a rezoning request for Print Crypto to operate a bitcoin mining operation at a Butler Rural Electric Cooperative substation at 8399 S.E. 84th St. Commissioner Randy Hague first suggested that the rezoning request go back before the planning commission after a long hearing, during which lawyers for Butler Rural Electric and Print Crypto argued that the bitcoin operation could operate noiselessly with a conditional-use permit. Source: Harvey County Now

4 Wednesday, January 4

Funds beings raised for new water slides at Holton Pool

info2023-01-04T23:24:42-06:00January 4th, 2023|

Even though most Holton-area residents have been concerned with how to stay warm in recent days, Holton Parks and Recreation Director Mike Reichle and the Jackson County Community Foundation are hoping some will give Holton’s municipal swimming pool some thought this winter. The recently-established “Beautify Holton” fund, established by Reichle and Jessica Rogers along with community foundation leaders, has so far raised more than $16,000 toward the purchase of a water slide at the city pool — a drive that began with a donation of more than $8,000 from a local business owner and augmented through the foundation’s “Giving Day” this [...]

4 Wednesday, January 4

Park City moving forward with creating downtown development

info2023-01-05T11:18:19-06:00January 4th, 2023|

Assistant Park City Administrator Dana Walden says it's always been a dream of the city to build something like a downtown area. "This is a pretty new city, we're only going to be 43 years old this year and so as park city developed, there was not this central hub, not a downtown.” City officials bought the 48 acres of land back behind its back in 2019 with this type of project in mind. It's taken a bit of time to get it started but work will get started in June under the name "Park Centre." Walden says “this will change [...]