Officials address lack of attorneys in rural Kansas with formation of committee

5 Monday, December 5

Officials address lack of attorneys in rural Kansas with formation of committee

info2022-12-05T00:41:29-06:00December 5th, 2022|

An order signed on Thursday by Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert is set to help fulfill the legal needs of rural Kansans. Lisa Taylor, the public information director for the Kansas Judicial Branch, says the order will create the Kansas Rural Justice Initiative Committee. This committee will examine the unmet legal needs in rural Kansas related to a decreasing number of attorneys living and working in rural areas. Luckert said the trend toward fewer attorneys in rural areas is not something that is unique to Kansas. She also said attorneys in rural areas tend to be older, with some [...]

5 Monday, December 5

Olpe Fire responds to grass fire near Madison

info2022-12-05T00:40:05-06:00December 5th, 2022|

Gusty winds and a change in wind direction kept some area firefighters busy Friday night into early Saturday. Greenwood County reported several grass fires after sunset, including one that developed near 380th Street between T and U — about four miles northwest of Madison. Olpe Fire was called in as mutual aid shortly after 9:30 pm and was finally released a bit before 11 pm. The cause of that fire has not been released and details on the other Greenwood County fires have not been divulged. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio

5 Monday, December 5

Parsons to look at MOU for anti-drug task force

info2022-12-05T07:33:08-06:00December 5th, 2022|

The Parsons City Commission will look at a memorandum of understanding to extend an interagency narcotics task force at its Monday meeting. The MOU lists a partnership among the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, the Parsons Police Department, Altamont Police Department, Chetopa Police Department, Oswego Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Labette County Attorney’s Office. It focuses on seizing illegal drugs and conducting investigations with the KBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency. It was created in 2019, according to documentation from Parsons Police Chief Bob Spinks. This MOU is no cost to the city or Parsons Police Department. It [...]

2 Friday, December 2

Hutch considers proposal for $18 million hotel and conference center

info2022-12-04T08:50:58-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

A hotel proposal to address the city's needs for additional rooms to retain large events like the NJCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is on the agenda for the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday. ... According to agenda documents, the City of Hutchinson has been in need of additional hotel accommodations for the activities and events which occur within its City limits. Further, the City of Hutchinson is in need of a functioning conference center for meeting space for community groups and guests of hotel properties. Source: Hutch Post

2 Friday, December 2

St. Lucia Festival keeps tradition alive in Lindsborg

info2022-12-04T08:37:09-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

For the people of Lindsborg, learning about and taking part in the traditions of Swedish culture becomes second nature, and the St. Lucia Festival, coming up on Dec. 10, is no exception. Holly Lofton, director of the Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that while the festival, which commemorates St. Lucia of Syracuse, wasn’t widely celebrated in public in the city until the 1960s, the festival most likely was taking place privately much before that. “Because of the Swedish heritage of Lindsborg...it was celebrated, I know, many times in people’s home,” Lofton said. Source: Hutch News

2 Friday, December 2

Payrolls and wages blow past expectations, flying in the face of Fed rate hikes

info2022-12-02T10:33:13-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

Job growth was much better than expected in November despite the Federal Reserve’s aggressive efforts to slow the labor market and tackle inflation. Nonfarm payrolls increased 263,000 for the month while the unemployment rate was 3.7%, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 200,000 on the payrolls number and 3.7% for the jobless rate. ... The numbers likely will do little to slow a Fed that has been raising interest rates steadily this year to bring down inflation still running near its highest level in more than 40 years. The rate [...]

2 Friday, December 2

Scott vs. City of Leawood: Building Inspector Authority

info2022-12-02T10:15:07-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

Dennis and Kristine Scott appeal the district court's ruling in favor of the City of Leawood in a dispute that arose after the Scotts placed two stone columns in the public right-of-way of a newly constructed cul-de-sac that is required to be dedicated to the City as part of a residential construction project. Although the Scotts submitted plans and specifications to the City of Leawood for the cul-de-sac that depicted the required public right-of-way, those plans and specifications did not show that they intended to place stone columns in the right-of-way. Ultimately, the City of Leawood informed the Scotts that one [...]

2 Friday, December 2

New weapon scanners arrive at Wichita high school

info2022-12-02T09:43:28-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

Wichita West High School is the first in the district to use weapon screening detectors as students enter the building for class. Students demonstrated the new safety measure Thursday afternoon as they left the building, and the detectors will be used Friday morning. The scanners will be placed at three entrances that are open at the start of the school day: the main entrance, the athletic entrance and a west entrance used by students who ride buses. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

2 Friday, December 2

Labette County OKs grandfathering in septic system

info2022-12-02T09:42:25-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

The Labette County Commission Wednesday approved grandfathering in a sewer/septic tank at 3830 Main, just outside of the city limits of Parsons. This commercial property is located in a flood plain, according to County Emergency Operations Manager Charlie Morse. Morse is also the county’s sanitation officer. Earlier this year, commissioners updated the county’s code to disallow new septic systems in floodplains. Source: Parsons Sun

2 Friday, December 2

What makes a nuisance? How Midwest cities, including Wichita, approach a developer’s halted projects

info2022-12-02T09:39:42-06:00December 2nd, 2022|

In Wichita, Chris Labrum, director of the city-county Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, said in general, situations that present a nuisance condition with a building project site include: Causing an environmental hazard or concern, such as contamination or excessive erosion Causing a public safety and/or security hazard — to include if the job site is abandoned and unsecure Excessive storage of junk and trash or other materials not related to the construction or the allowed zoning/uses of the property Excessively tall grass and weeds that may harbor vermin, insects, or other hazards to neighboring properties "They are the property owners [...]