Next time you’re picnicking in Lenexa’s Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, you might spot some goats having lunch there as well. While park officials see honeysuckle and callery pear as a problem, goats see them as a delicious feast. The city of Lenexa is about to use a small herd of goats for a grazing project to get rid of unwanted plants that harm water quality in streams. It hired Goats on the Go, a company that provides goats for just such needs. The 25 to 30 goats will start grazing on 2.5 acres at the park in late August or early September. [...]

As Kansas City reinstates its mask mandate, health officials in Johnson County said they also are concerned about the spread of COVID-19. “Cases are increasing rapidly, driven largely by the Delta variant. Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is concerned about this,” Sanmi Areola, Johnson County’s top public health official, said in a statement. “We are reviewing the updated guidance from CDC and will continue to update our residents and elected officials.” The Johnson County board of commissioners meet on Thursday. On the agenda is an update on COVID-19 and vaccination in the county. Source: KC Star Local News

An afternoon of summer fun brought smiles to many around Edgerton Elementary School. Teams from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Johnson County Fire District 1 played a softball game June 19 to raise funds for school supplies and registration fees for students. It raised approximately $35,000, which will cover every student at the school this year. The idea came from county sheriff’s deputy Brad Johnson. “Basically, I was just driving around town, trying to figure out the best way that we could make an impact on the community,” Johnson said. “I came up with idea of doing a fundraiser and [...]

Last year, most Kansas City area pools closed because of the pandemic. This year, several pools and beaches can’t open for a different reason: a lifeguard shortage. Jackson County Parks + Rec couldn’t hire enough lifeguards this summer to staff both Blue Springs Beach and Longview Lake Beach. As a result, only Longview is open. Overland Park did not open the Bluejacket and Marty pools for the same reason. “Overall the effect is that pools are closed. Beaches are closed,” said Tina Spallo, Jackson County’s superintendent of recreation. “Therefore the general public doesn’t have as many aquatic centers to choose from.” [...]

The police department in Kansas City, Kansas, issued an updated use-of-force policy in early June, just a few weeks before two deadly police shootings. The policy, effective June 2, says officers are allowed to use deadly force “to insure the safety of themselves and others from imminent death or great bodily harm.” A previous policy was similar, saying lethal force was authorized “to protect life.” On June 20, a chase that began in Kansas City, Missouri, crossed the state line. Police said Dario Dominguez, 25, shot at officers, who returned fire, at 18th Street and Parallel Parkway. Source: KC Star Local [...]

Karl Oakman was sworn in as the next police chief for Kansas City, Kansas, Monday morning. Oakman, 51, who most recently served as a deputy chief across the state line in the Kansas City Police Department, said he was ready to roll up his sleeves and start listening to the department and the community. “This is a very important honor for me not just as chief of police, but to return home to a city that raised me and kept me safe in this community,” Oakman told the small crowd gathered Monday, which included members of his family. Source: KC Star [...]

The City of Lenexa is seeking more than $600 million in federal aid for a pair of road construction projects in Johnson County that failed to get the green light at the state level. Lenexa wants more than $400 million to complete the third phase of the expansive Johnson County Gateway project at the heavily traveled interchange of I-435, I-35 and K-10. The proposal would pay for the construction of a flyover ramp at I-35 northbound and I-435 westbound and improvements to the I-435 interchange at 95th Street among other upgrades to reduce congestion. Source: KC Star Local News

A federal jury found that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, discriminated against a Black firefighter and then retaliated against him when it fired him for raising complaints. The 10-member jury returned a verdict in favor of former Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department employee Jyan Harris on Thursday after deliberating for about eight hours. The jury awarded Harris $2,432,000, an amount that represents back pay, future pay and compensatory damages for both his discrimination and retaliation claims. “Hopefully now it shows them that you can’t do people like that,” Harris said after the verdict was read. “You have to [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the National Homelessness Law Center have warned the city of Merriam that a new law that limits panhandling in certain medians is unconstitutional and could harm homeless residents. The Merriam City Council in February voted 6-2 to approve the new ordinance banning pedestrians from standing or sitting on medians at nine high-traffic intersections, other than to legally cross the street. City officials said the law is aimed at cutting down on car crashes and ensuring the safety of pedestrians, and is not meant to penalize panhandlers — despite concerns from some residents and [...]

Kansas school districts are bracing for challenges to their requirements that students wear masks, as a new state law empowers parents to quickly sue to overturn local board decisions. In Johnson County alone, Olathe, Blue Valley and De Soto schools have already received complaints as teachers and students navigate the final weeks of the academic year. Educational leaders expect more to arrive under a process they fear could lead districts to abandon such COVID-19 precautions in the face of potentially costly court battles. The pandemic forced district leaders to make agonizing decisions about everything from remote learning and sports participation to quarantine [...]