News Staff The City of Arkansas City is continuing its annual fire hydrant flushing program, with work proceeding all across south-central Arkansas City starting this week. The Environmental Services Department today began flushing Section 3 and then moves to 4, which contains 17 fire hydrants for section 3 and 148 fire hydrants for section 4. Section 3 … Read more
Alice Bendinelli, professor of English, was named recipient of the Charles H. and Verda R. Kopke Award for Distinguished Teaching during Southwestern College Commencement exercises Sunday, May 8. The Kopkes established the award in order to honor outstanding faculty members. She is currently completing her coursework for a doctorate in Education at Southwestern College. She … Read more
This year’s list of Kansas Notable Books continues the tradition of celebrating the rich stories and culture of Kansas. Each year, the Kansas Notable Books list features 15 books, published during the previous calendar year, which are about or set in Kansas, or written by a Kansas author. The list includes Blue Collar Saint: Poems … Read more
Governor Laura Kelly recently toured family-owned and -operated McCarty Family Farms in Northwest Kansas to proclaim the month of June “Kansas Dairy Month.” The Governor was joined by the Kansas Department of Agriculture and other agriculture community members. Over the last three decades, Kansas’ dairy cow herd has doubled, and milk production has nearly quadrupled. … Read more
Governor Laura Kelly today signed Senate Bill 19, bipartisan legislation that creates the state’s suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline and behavioral health intervention teams. Kansans will soon be able to call 9-8-8 to receive support during a mental health emergency. The 9-8-8 hotline will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a … Read more
Surrounded by small business leaders in downtown Topeka, Governor Laura Kelly today signed bipartisan House Bill 2136, which will invest $50 million to help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Providing $50 million of financial assistance for small businesses is just one more way my Administration is working to make Kansas the most pro-business … Read more
June 4 and 5 are Free Fishing Days in Kansas, when anyone can fish on any public waters without a fishing license. The free weekend provides the perfect opportunity to introduce someone to the joys of angling; kind of a “try it before you buy it” opportunity. In Kansas, anyone age 16-74 must have a … Read more
The Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) formally kicked off a $48 million, 26-month-long effort to modernize the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) system. Kansas’ current mainframe system used to process UI benefits was created in the 1970s. The last major push to modernize began under Governor Sebelius in 2005 but was subsequently abandoned in 2011 by … Read more
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that nearly $50 million in federal, state, and private investments is going to two rail projects – the Southwest Kansas Infrastructure Upgrade Project and the KYLE Railroad Gateway Project – in northcentral and southwest Kansas. $20 million of that amount comes through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant … Read more
Governor Laura Kelly announced today that total tax collections for May were $910.1 million – $239.5 million, or 35.7%, higher than the estimate for the month. Individual income tax collections were $518.4 million. That is $198.4 million, or 62.0%, above the estimate. Corporate income tax collections were $51.4 million –$33.4 million, or 185.6%, more than … Read more