Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing the city of Edgerton, arguing it illegally annexed land for an expansion of its booming industrial park. It’s the latest in a years-long saga in southwestern Johnson County, where neighbors continue to fight industrial growth as they watch farmland get eaten up by warehouses. In 2020, the Edgerton City Council annexed and rezoned nearly 700 acres of unincorporated rural land to make way for an expansion south of Interstate 35 at the sprawling Logistics Park Kansas City intermodal facility. A group of homeowners unsuccessfully sued the city in 2021, arguing the annexations were illegal, [...]

A landfill that has provoked friction among residents in Easton, Kansas, has been ordered to temporarily close. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a cease and desist order Wednesday to the business running the landfill, Flat Land Excavating, saying it is out of compliance with its height and volume limits and must apply for a permit modification. The site, about 45 miles west of Kansas City, has been the source of animosity between the landfill’s owners Shawn and Christina Britz and nearby residents. Since the couple got a special use permit and took over the landfill in 2019, local [...]

Years ago, the “other” Kansas City — the one in Kansas — had its own busy downtown. Though less grand than its Missouri cousin, a stretch of Minnesota Avenue west of 7th Street was lined for decades with shops, banks, theaters and eateries. The addition of the towering Town House Hotel came in 1951, which attracted celebrities performing in the area like country singer Patsy Cline. She stayed there the night after her concert at Memorial Hall. Sadly, it was her last one. Cline died in a plane crash on the way back to Nashville A view of the same scene [...]

An air quality alert was issued for the Kansas City as the metro area is expected to see an unhealthy level of smog, according to the Mid-America Regional Council. An ozone alert was issued for Tuesday, the eighth time this season that the agency, commonly referred to as MARC, has issued such a warning. The poor air quality is forecast to fall under an orange ozone alert, which means unhealthy level of ground-level ozone, also known as ozone pollution or smog, is expected for people sensitive to pollution, including those with heart problems or respiratory disease like asthma and allergies. The [...]

The City of Leawood and two of its police officers have been removed from a lawsuit that alleged police used excessive force against a woman seeking treatment at a local hospital. Muriel Martin, 76, of Kansas City, filed a federal lawsuit on May 19 in the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas. An amended complaint now names Saint Luke’s Health System as the sole defendant. “The lawsuit in its original form included false and damaging statements about the Leawood Police Department and its employees,” said Chief Dale Finger. “We responded immediately to these untrue allegations by bringing forward undisputable evidence [...]

In a little more than six hours, Lawrence police responded to three overdose calls, with one person dead and another in critical condition. The first call came in at 9:30 Monday night and the third about 3:45 Tuesday morning. In each of the three calls officers found evidence that led them “to believe fentanyl was the cause,” according to Lawrence police. “Overnight we had a really tragic series of events here in Lawrence,” Police Chief Rich Lockhart said as he began a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “... One of the things that we really want to emphasize here is that fentanyl [...]

As part of President Joe Biden’s 2021 infrastructure law, the Federal Railroad Administration is awarding Olathe nearly $18 million in federal funding to build an overpass over the crossing at Woodland Street and Northgate Road. The project is part of a broader effort to eliminate dangerous railroad crossings and, in Johnson County, expand 119th Street between Kansas 7 Highway and Interstate 35. The four lane bridge will span over the BSNF rail line in the area and Mill Creek and include a direct connection to the existing trail system for bikes and pedestrians. Source: KC Star Local News

Kansas City’s under an ozone alert, meaning there’s a higher amount of pollution in the air than usual, which can be harmful to people with respiratory issues. The alert includes Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas, as well as Clay, Platte and Jackson counties in Missouri, according to the National Weather Service. What does that actually mean? Here’s what we learned from the Mid-America Regional Council, who issues the alerts. Source: KC Star Local News

Old Shawnee Days is often considered one of the area’s unofficial starts of summer. But it’s really so much more. “How can you not be excited about Old Shawnee Days? It is a great family-friendly event with a little something for everyone,” said Kate Kinkaid, media and publicity chairperson for the event. Old Shawnee Days will be held from Thursday through Sunday at Shawnee Town 1929, 11501 W. 57th St. The free event includes everything from a carnival to live music and food vendors to a parade. Source: KC Star Local News

The city of Olathe will officially launch its compost dropoff program in the coming days, offering free disposal of food scraps to city residents at its multipurpose dropoff site at 1100 N. Hedge Lane. Olathe residents can stop by during the site’s open hours to dispose of any food waste, from meat and bones to eggshells, dairy products, produce scraps and processed foods. You simply deposit their scraps into one of the three 95-gallon trash bins housed inside a wooden corral. Source: KC Star Local News