Don’t forget about Elsmore. That was Brenda Boyle’s request to county commissioners, as she asked for help with stormwater projects. Elsmore received $10,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and decided to use the money to replace, repair and clean outdated whistles and ditches.  It’s an important project for the city, Boyle said, and they want to maximize this opportunity. Historically, Elsmore hasn’t asked a lot of the county, Boyle said. Source: The Iola Register

Animals taken to the shelter by city employees can be held for five business days before ACARF officials can put the dogs or cats up for adoption. The city’s previous contract allowed for 10 days. The hope is to reduce overcrowding. Source: The Iola Register

The issue of motorists having to stop for school buses along U.S. 54 just outside LaHarpe has been resolved. LaHarpe City Attorney Fred Works said Monday the Iola school district has reached an agreement with a family allowing buses to use the family’s driveway for pick-up and drop-offs. The bus will no longer stop along the highway. At least three motorists have been ticketed in recent weeks for passing the stopped bus from the opposite direction along the four-lane highway. Motorists must stop for a school bus from both directions if its red lights are flashing and its stop sign is extended. The [...]

The just-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will provide the EPA with more than $50 billion for improving the nation’s water systems. Anyone who doubts the need for such funding should take a peek at the inbox of Tommy Holmes, legislative director for the American Water Works Association, which represents public and private drinking water utilities across the country. “I have been getting a relatively steady stream of emails and phone calls from water utilities large and small asking ‘all right, how do we apply for the money?’” Holmes said. “And I have to point out that, well, the president hasn’t signed it [...]

County commissioners will need to consider whether to pay more to expand a countywide transportation program to round-the-clock coverage. The current schedule doesn’t help people who need to get to work. Three local industries are willing to contribute to costs to expand coverage. A county transportation plan could expand to round-the-clock coverage to help employees get to work. At least that’s the hope for Thrive Allen County. Representatives asked county commissioners to agree to spend up to $54,000 more a year to expand the service and purchase another vehicle for the program. Source: The Iola Register

Christmas came early for Iola city employees Monday night. Council members approved a 5.9% cost of living adjustment to employee paychecks next year, mirroring the same increases Social Security recipients will receive next year. The city traditionally has tied its COLA to the Social Security Index. Next year’s raise is the largest in the past 20 years. The last time COLAs were north of 5% was in 2009, when raises were 5.8%. While the raises are above what the Council planned when setting the 2022 budget earlier this year, with insurance premiums rising only about 1.3% next year, the city should [...]

This time last year, Lynda Fort got cabin fever. As a way to pass the time, she started driving along the Santa Fe Trail, beginning in Marion County and ending up in Rice County. It took three days of driving, and in that time she sought out all 67 of the markers in the southwest district – which begins in Wichita and ends near the borders of Colorado and Oklahoma – of the trail. These boulders were originally placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1906. When tourists or students from nearby schools visit, Fort said, the markers serve [...]

As legislators calculate the right balance on how much to spend on infrastructure and clean energy, they should take stock of both the environmental and the economic gains that everyday Americans earn through the transformation to an efficient, clean energy economy. And make no mistake: The transition is underway, built up from many small projects and successes. Congress can maintain momentum by funding smart policy choices, such as USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. In its nearly 20-year history, this program has supported more than 20,000 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for rural businesses and farms. These projects are mostly [...]

The steady rise in home prices that defined the housing market in 2021 looks to continue steadily into next year across Kansas, according to a new report forecasting the statewide housing market. The Wichita State University Center for Real Estate released its annual Kansas Housing Market Forecast Series report for 2022 Wednesday. The study projects statewide home sales increasing, construction will remain constrained by supply chain issues and home prices will continue to rise. “The supply of homes available for sale remains near historic lows,” Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate said in a release. “Although bidding [...]

Interest in the Regional Rural Technical Center in LaHarpe continues to grow, with a record 87 students taking part in five areas of study, and two new teachers who are familiar faces to Iola High School students. Welding continues to be the most popular program at the tech center, USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager said.  In fact, the class has become so popular that it expanded to three sessions. Three adults also are taking classes.  “I think a lot of kids just like doing it. They like welding,” Fager said. “And I think it has caught on as a financial consideration [...]