Workers prepare the site for the Burlingame Library’s new community patio. The Burlingame Community Library was recently awarded a $25,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant for the construction of a community patio. This project was made possible by the State Library of Kansas and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Source: Osage County Online

The Carbondale City Library will hold a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the new building’s construction. The ceremony will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at 302 Main St., Carbondale. The new 6,000-square-feet building features seating for more than 100 people, study areas, group meeting rooms, and a multi-purpose room, including a kitchen for future classes. Source: Osage County Online

Monday, May 10, 2021, during the Osage County Commission meeting, Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells presented commendation bars and Life Saving Awards to sheriff’s deputies Cory Hamilton, Christian Moran, and Clayton Hartpence. Wells described the incident that occurred Feb. 25, 2021, in which Hamilton and Moran responded to a report of a non-responsive person at a residence in Scranton, Kan. Deputies, Osage County EMS, and Scranton first responders were dispatched to the scene, but Hamilton and Moran were the first to arrive. ... “The quick response and immediate actions by deputies Hamilton and Moran resulted in this selfless act of saving [...]

Where there’s smoke there’s barbecue –  that is how it’s been in April at Osage City for about 18 years, except for last year. Postponed until Halloween last year due to COVID-19 conditions, the Smoke in the Spring State BBQ Championship is back on track for springtime barbecue competition in 2021. The competition gets underway for the outdoor chefs Friday night as many start warming up their cookers, but the fun also fires up at the community barbecue party, Taste of Osage City, starting at 5 p.m. Source: Osage County Online

An Osage City property will receive a historic preservation project grant as part of 2021 round of Heritage Trust Fund grant program. The Star Block, a portion of the downtown in Osage City on Market Street, will receive $90,000 of the total of $1,168,492 awarded for 15 historic preservation projects across the state. HTF grants reimburse expenses for projects that preserve or restore qualifying historic properties. The funded projects represent a diverse collection of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places or the Register of Historic Kansas Places. All awards are contingent upon available funding. Source: Osage County Online

The Kansas Department of Transportation is reminding the public that according to state law, all rights of way on state highways are to be used exclusively for highway purposes. KDOT has jurisdiction over all interstate, Kansas and U.S. routes on the state’s 9,500-mile system. The violation that occurs frequently is the placement of various signs that are removed and taken to local KDOT offices. However, it is also unlawful for any persons to display on highway right of way outside the city limits any goods, wares or merchandise for sale. (Read more: Osage County Online)

The making of Osage County’s history was not limited solely to those individuals who maintained permanent residence here. Such is the case of John Rankin, an Ohio resident and the man who established the Presbyterian church in Lyndon, Kansas. John Rankin was originally from Tennessee. Rankin was influenced by the period called the Second Great Enlightenment, which was a revival of the Christian faith that led many to realize slavery was incompatible with their beliefs. Rankin became ordained as a pastor in 1814, and soon after joined a local Anti-Slavery Society, a branch of a nationwide group that believed prejudice in [...]

Osage City, Kan., has been designated as an opportunity zone after being one of 74 census tracts across Kansas nominated for the designation in April 2018. The opportunity zone designation by the U.S. Department of Treasury allows communities to be eligible to receive investments through Qualified Opportunity Funds to spur local economic growth. Opportunity zones are an economic development tool enacted by the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and offers investors preferential tax treatment for capital gains invested in designated low income communities. The program is designed to encourage long term investment in economically distressed areas and promote [...]

Osage County Emergency Management and the Osage County Local Emergency Planning Committee will host a training, exercise and planning workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at the Osage County Emergency Operations Center Meyer Conference Room, 131 W. 14th St., Lyndon, Kan. The focus of this workshop will be to provide participants the opportunity to develop a coordinated and comprehensive workshop and training calendar, using a capabilities-based planning process, to support the priorities and needs of all emergency responders in Osage County. (Read more: Osage County Online | Osage County News | News for Osage County, Kansas, Burlingame, Carbondale, Lyndon, Melvern, [...]

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reminding Kansans that March and April are a time when large areas of the state’s Flint Hills rangeland are burned. These burns help preserve the tallgrass prairie, control invasive species such as eastern red cedar and sumac, and provide better forage for cattle. Prescribed burning minimizes risk of wildfires and is effective in managing rangeland resources. Smoke from the burns can influence the air quality of downwind areas. The use of smoke management techniques is vital to reduce impacts. KDHE activated the Kansas smoke modeling tool on March 1, prior to widespread burning [...]