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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recognized the Ellis County Fire Department (ECFD) with its Golden Helmet distinction. The ECFD was the first volunteer fire department in the state to achieve the NIOSH designation for participation in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. “This honor places the ECFD as the 100th leading fire department in the nation dedicated to understanding and eliminating one of the greatest health threats in the fire service today—cancer,” said Ellis County Fire & Emergency Management [...]

For small towns, these projects could be a source of economic growth, something rural Kansas counties have been searching for. But, skepticism has also grown alongside wind and solar, and that is putting some of the potential growth on hold. It’s not just the wind and solar farms growing, it’s also the country’s demand for energy. Read more: CJonline

The Wichita area grew faster than Kansas as a whole over the past five years or so and is seeing its population of young people and racial minorities grow. While Wichita is growing faster than the state, its suburbs are growing the quickest, and the region is showing healthy signs. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Despite only having 333 residents, Lucas is making national news, thanks to a thriving arts scene. The town in Russell County was included in two different lists for the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards in art this week. The town's Garden of Eden was found in the list of Best Sculpture Parks and the city found itself in the list of Best Small Town Arts Scenes. Read more: Salina Journal

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) posted Request for Applications (RFA) for its first two grant opportunities under the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in Kansas. The application period for the Regional Partnership (RPGP) and the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Conversion/Transformative Capital Investment (CAP) grant programs opened Monday to eligible Kansas providers and organizations pursuing collaborative arrangements with one or more eligible Kansas providers. Eligible providers include Kansas hospitals, physician practices, solo practitioners, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, local health departments, Native American Sovereign Tribal health care facilities, certified community behavioral health clinics, licensed substance-use disorder facilities, [...]

After months of work and a few clarifications, Riley County on Monday unanimously approved amendments to short-term rental regulations for properties in unincorporated areas of the county. One amendment defines how the county may waive the 500-foot separation requirement between units. “Thus it was proposed to revise the language to directly focus on primary issues, which were traffic and parking,” county planner Bob Isaac said. “It’s a matter of phrasing, but it includes that and gets directly to the point.” Read more: News Radio KMAN

Within the same breath, 10 years can feel both as if decades have passed or it has just been a few minutes, and for many, the moment happens at the same instant. On Feb. 26, 10 years will have passed since a random act of violence shook Hesston to its core during the Excel shooting, where Joshua Higbee, Renee Benjamin and Brian Sadowsky were killed, along with the perpetrator, Cedric Ford, and 14 others were wounded. Ford’s rampage began when he fired shots at cars near the intersection of 12th and Meridian, in Newton, followed by more shooting at Old 81 [...]

More than 222,000 Notices of Appraised Value are being mailed to Johnson County property owners, detailing changes in property values for this year. County Appraiser Carolyn Logan will present property revaluation trend updates to the Board of County Commissioners at its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Feb. 26. This year’s report indicates a continuation of healthy growth and stability across residential and commercial markets. Total appraised and assessed values across all markets show an increase of approximately 6% for 2026 compared to 2025. Read more: Johnson County Kansas

A stretch of Lee Boulevard between 81st Street and 103rd Street now has a lower speed limit in the latest effort by Leawood officials to address parents’ demands for pedestrian safety. The council unanimously voted last week to lower the speed limit from 35 to 30 miles an hour, beginning Friday, Feb. 20, with the intent to review the effects in six months to decide if the limit needs to be lowered even further. Speed limits, crosswalks, helmets and signals have been at the top of the council’s to-do list for the past few months, since the death of 10-year-old Duke [...]

Students and parents in the Shawnee Mission School District are heading for a significantly more tech-centric bus riding experience next school year, now that school board members have approved a seven-year contract with Zum, a Redwood City, California, company. Expectations were high last month as the Shawnee Mission Board of Education gave unanimous approval to engage Zum (pronounced Zoom) at an estimated $21 million a year and an $18 million initial cost. In return, Zum advertises a completely air-conditioned fleet and modernized tracking systems that optimize routes, show parents and school officials where a bus is at any given time and [...]