The first Kansas Whataburger will open at 11 a.m. Monday in Johnson County. The location, at 8420 W. 135th St. in Overland Park, was formerly a Salty Iguana Mexican Restaurant. Whataburger has opened two other metro locations that have attracted lines of cars stretching for blocks for the grand openings. The company said it will pay for Overland Park police and private security to help manage traffic flow during the latest opening. Source: KC Star Local News

Market values for homes are increasing in Johnson County. The county sent out valuations to homeowners earlier this week, and if it seems like your home’s appraisal value went up, it probably did. These kinds of assessments are based on statistics that indicate the ongoing trends in the market area, and they affect how much you pay in property taxes. When evaluating property, the county appraiser looks at a number of homes sold in the area and considers factors like the square footage, location, additions like porches, patios, garages, the finish of the basement and more to see how much a [...]

The latest plans to redevelop the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant into a massive new industrial business center survived a challenge this week from one Johnson County leader critical of a major tax incentive component of the project. The vote by a majority of the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday to support the project effectively clears the path for a series of construction and tax incentive plans to advance this spring, which officials hope will bring the first substantial construction at the contaminated former U.S. Army site since it made rocket propellant during the war in Vietnam. The new plans, [...]

A new plan aims to jump start the long-troubled Mission Gateway development a month after it missed a critical construction milestone, forcing its developers back to “some version of square one” almost 16 years after the project first began. Should Mission city leaders agree to pursue the newest iteration of the long-running redevelopment plan this spring, developer Tom Valenti suggested construction could resume as soon as the beginning of 2023 — almost three years after work stopped on the property. But city officials frustrated by years of false starts appeared to remain skeptical during Valenti’s first pitch of the new version [...]

Wyandotte County will establish a public defender’s office, a week after several residents spoke in a public hearing on why the county needed one. The Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services voted on Friday to create the office, said Jonathan Carter, a spokesperson for Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree. Eight of the nine board members voted to install the office. One board member abstained from the vote, Carter said. The public defender’s office is expected to be up and running by 2024, Carter said. Source: KC Star Local News

The beleaguered Spring Hill City Council appointed a new member Thursday night over the objections of a councilman who has vanished from the public eye in a failed bid to thwart the move. New Councilman Chad Young was appointed after the council discovered a technicality allowing them to fill the seat, regardless of Councilman Steve Owen’s ongoing protest, as fallout from the mayoral election last fall continues to dog the small town. Source: KC Star Local News

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is asking Johnson County residents to voluntarily report at-home COVID-19 test results. Whether it’s positive or negative, the results will aim to give JCDHE a better understanding of the spread of COVID-19 in Johnson County. As of Jan. 17, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Johnson County was nearly 30%, which local health officials categorize as high community risk. It’s hard to get a full sense of the spread and positivity rate when the reported data only includes results from test sites, and not the results from at home tests people take on their [...]

As emergency medical resources have been strained by staffing shortages and a resurgence of COVID-19, Johnson County officials are considering changes to the way ambulances respond to 911 calls. Dr. Ryan Jacobsen, medical director for the Johnson County EMS System, said Tuesday that options are being weighed to weed out unnecessary calls for service such as mild illnesses. That could include a more in-depth screening process during 911 calls before dispatching an ambulance or having emergency responders advise patients to stay at home, Jacobsen said. “We’re trying to keep ambulances available for the true emergencies, traumatic injuries, car accidents, life-threatening things,” [...]

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas unanimously named Cheryl Harrison-Lee as the interim County Administrator on Thursday evening. Harrison-Lee’s appointment comes less than two weeks after Doug Bach announced his retirement as the county administrator. Harrison-Lee’s term is scheduled to run from Jan. 7, 2022 to April 1, 2023. Commissioners voted 10-0. This is the first time Wyandotte County will have a different County Administrator since 2014, when Bach was appointed by former Mayor Mark Holland. Bach’s retirement came less than a month into the term of new Mayor Tyrone Garner, who was elected in November and sworn-in in [...]

Have you been feeling blue lately? Don’t worry, it’s not just you. The City of Olathe is feeling the same, as some street lights in the area have changed colors. City spokesperson Cody Kennedy said it’s the coding in the light that’s causing the issue. It’s a nationwide issue with a light model that was made between 2017 and 2019. To fix it, the city replaces the head of the light. It’s working on changing all of them. Source: KC Star Local News