The Salina Post

Authorities are investigating the cause of a Sunday afternoon grass fire in Harvey County. The fire in the 3800 block of North Sand Hill Road northeast of Burrton burned about 300 to 400 acres of land, according to a media release. The spread of the fire was stopped, and there are no injuries or damage to homes reported at this time. ... Fire departments from Burrton, Halstead, Hesston, Newton, Sedgwick, Buhler, Hutchinson and Moundridge responded. (Read more: The Salina Post)

Today the Kansas Board of Regents voted to name Dr. Jay Golden as the 14th president of Wichita State University. “The regents are excited to announce Dr. Jay Golden as the next president of Wichita State University,” said Regent Shane Bangerter, KBOR Chair. “The Regents are confident that Jay is the right president to lead Wichita State in the future and continue to advance the university as a leader in higher education and applied learning. I’m grateful to interim president Andy Tompkins for his leadership during this transitional period. I’d also like to thank the search committee for its outstanding work [...]

At Tuesday morning’s Saline County commissioners meeting, commissioners approved a contract with Phillip Smith-Hanes, current Ellis County administrator, to serve as the new Saline County administrator. Smith-Hanes comes to Saline County after a career of more than 23 years that has spanned both city and county governments in two different states. He has served as a county administrator since December 2009, first in California and for the last 3-plus years in Ellis County. (Read more: The Salina Post)

  On Monday, the McPherson City Commission made official the city’s chief of police and assistant chief of police. According to information from the McPherson KS Police Department Facebook page, the commission “approved Mayor Thomas Brown’s appointment of Mikel Golden as the Chief of Police and Todd Martens as the Assitant Chief of Police of the McPherson Police Department.” Golden and Martens had been serving as interims in those positions since Robert McClarty retired as chief at the end of June. (Read more: The Salina Post)

The Kansas Department of Transportation announces approved bids for state highway construction and maintenance projects in Kansas. The letting took place Aug. 21, 2019, in Topeka. Some of the bids may include multiple projects that have been bundled based on proximity and type of work... See list > (Read more: The Salina Post)

Want to find the nearest cheese curds? Need a bathroom in a hurry? Searching for a product — may be a new mop or a fancy grill — to help make your life easier? Or, perhaps, you just don’t want to miss any of the Kansas State Fair action. The answers — plus more — can be found in the Kansas State Fair’s new mobile app. The app, sponsored by Mattress Hub, is free to download for both iPhone and Android devices. It will help plan your day at the Fair. It will also send real-time notifications — such as when [...]

  RAWR volunteers Michael Gutierrez, Meaghan Roths, Makenna Roths, Ariana Cannon, and Leonie Harzman. Photo courtesy Salina Area United Way Seventy-six adult and teen volunteers spent time this summer reading to children at four of Salina’s schools’ thanks to the Salina Area United Way. The listeners — children from birth to 18 — each week got to pick out a book of their very own. During the seven-week program, 1308 free books were given to children for their home libraries. Staff and volunteers of the five-year program, Raising Active Wild Readers (RAWR), distributed the free books one day a week at [...]

The Saline County Road and Bridge Department has announced that part of Halstead Road will be closed next week. According to a news release, Halstead Road from Stimmel Road south to Armstrong Road will be closed Monday through August 25, 2019, to permit Ameritrack Railroad to repair the railroad crossing. The length of the closure will be dependent on the weather. A signed detour will be installed by the railroad company. Access to the Ell-Saline Elementary School will be maintained throughout construction. (Read more: The Salina Post)

Salina USD 305 and NEA-Salina have come to an agreement on teacher contracts, according to a news release from Salina USD 305. The two sides came to an agreement on an average salary increase of 3.2 percent after completing a successful mediation session. The teams had already agreed to other changes in the contract such as: Increased plan time for elementary classroom teachers and high school teachers Expanded the opportunity to use paid time off The next step is for USD 305 teachers to vote in order to ratify the 2019-2020 teacher contract. (Read more: The Salina Post)