USD 258 will have a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for its new elementary school classroom wing and technology building. The district also laid out its budget for next year. School officials will cut ribbons Wednesday to mark essential completion of a new classroom wing and technology building within Humboldt USD 258. The ribbon cutting ceremonies will be at 6 p.m. at Humboldt Elementary School, which is getting the new classroom wing, bus lane and parking lot. The ribbon cutting for the new technology building will be at the high school at 6:30, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amber Wheeler said. An open [...]

Robby Droessler recently assumed the role of Iola's parks and cemetery superintendent. He ascended into the position after long-time parks and cemetery boss Berkley Kerr retired this summer. Want to feel old? Robby Droessler, Iola’s newly minted parks and cemetery superintendent, was having a recent conversation with a seasonal employee of his who helped with mowing during the summer before returning to school in the fall. The chat steered to Iola’s 2007 flood, which filled Riverside Park with 10 feet of floodwater and ultimately resulted in construction of a new swimming pool and a new community building. “He didn’t remember anything [...]

Crawford County commissioners are considering a proposed $500 million solar farm that would generate not only energy but also millions in tax revenues, according to the Pittsburg Morning Sun. John Copyak of Shasta Power, based in Bend, Ore., introduced the plan to commissioners earlier this week. The 1,500-acre site woud be between Arma and Frontenac and be centered on an existing power station, the Sun reported. Construction would require 200 workers, with a dozen permanent jobs required to maintain the site. The farm is slated to generate 200 megawatts, enough to power 50,000 homes, according to Copyak. The solar farm is [...]

Iola City Council members are one step closer to revising the city’s temporary business licensing ordinance. Council member Joelle Shallah presented the council with recommendations for the Transient/Temporary Business ordinance that had previously been discussed at the April 8 council meeting. At that time, a special committee was formed to discuss recommended changes to the ordinance. “The reason I feel it needs to be addressed is because of the shift in opportunities for small businesses,” said Shallah. “As most of us know, we are seeing more and more mobile businesses. I would love to see us being open and progressive.” Shallah [...]

Killing two birds with one stone. This was the idea behind Mammoth Sports Construction’s presentation at Monday evening’s joint meeting of the Iola City Council and school board. Riverside Park poses flooding issues for the city and USD 257 has a need for ballfields that can still be utilized following heavy rains. The solution? Synthetic turf fields, bigger holding ponds and larger pumps to mitigate and redirect flood waters, according to Mammoth. The scope of the $3.733 million project includes an artificial turf softball, baseball, and football field that will help store flood waters during a major storm event. The fields [...]

On April 10, 2015, brothers Tony and Josh Works set a goal. A year from that date, they wanted to sit on the patio at the future Union Works Brewing Co. and enjoy a pint of craft beer. It took nearly a decade to turn that dream into a reality, but last Saturday, they sat on the patio and raised their glasses to celebrate the opening of the brewing company’s tap room. Over the past few years, the brewery quietly continued in the background as A Bolder Humboldt, a local economic development group, finished other projects. Residents and visitors learned to be patient [...]

The Smithsonian Magazine named Humboldt as one of the “15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2024.” It’s an annual list of small towns “that make up the heart of America.” The towns all have populations fewer than 25,000, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Humboldt’s is 1,850. Towns selected offer “vast cultural experiences, superb nature, and a plethora of activities and events, not to mention an anniversary or opening that makes 2024 an especially great year to visit.” Humboldt was selected as “A Revitalized Small Town.” The magazine outlines the work done by A Bolder Humboldt, established in 2016, [...]

Charley Pogue of Blue Mound frequently drives the 10 miles to The Mildred Store. When family members from Lawrence were visiting this weekend, he brought them to the store’s 10th anniversary celebration.  They walked around the car show, enjoyed food and grocery specials, and played Bingo. Later that evening, the crowd danced to music and entertainment provided by fiddle players from Oklahoma and a former American Idol contestant. “They’re not used to the small-town life,” Pogue said of his relatives. “They’re having a blast.” That’s the goal for store owners Loren and Regena Lance. When they bought the store in 2014, [...]

Ten Kansas counties stand to receive millions in federal funds to improve the safety and efficiency of local roads. Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced the $6.65 million in federal funds for 10 projects, selected out of 46 applications. Haskell, Linn, Ottawa, Phillips, Sedgwick, Seward and Shawnee counties have all been granted federal dollars for these rural road improvement projects. “Our rural roads are important to the local and state economy,” Kelly said. “Programs like this enable commerce to flow smoothly and improve safety for Kansas families as they travel our state.” Project funding is managed through the Kansas Department of [...]

Rep. Fred Gardner grew up near Burlington and remembers the days before Wolf Creek nuclear power plant came to town. Community development skyrocketed. A new computer chip manufacturing plant is likely to have the same effect. Source: The Iola Register