Voters to decide $2M school bond
LE ROY — Voters in the Le Roy-Gridley USD 245 school district will decide on May 14 whether to approve $2 million in bonds for improvements including a new vocational agriculture shop, a science classroom, two preschool classrooms and fire alarm upgrades to the elementary school in Gridley, according to The Coffey County Republican. Two informational meetings were planned, one on April 29 and the other at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the elementary school gymnasium in Gridley. The board sent a survey to district residents about a need for $9.8 million worth of improvements. Most said they would not support more than $3.5 million, so the board pared projects down to a $2 million bond issue with another $500,000 from the district’s capital outlay fund.
County won’t seek legal action on memorial kiosks
GARNETT — Anderson County commissioners say they’re no longer pursuing legal action to force a computer kiosk vendor to fix issues with the county’s veterans memorial, according to The Anderson County Review. They will instead look into a redesign that uses a QR code to access a database of veteran photos and information. The touch screens on systems provided by Advanced Kiosks of Concord, N.H., haven’t worked correctly since the memorial was dedicated in June 2021.
SEK Highway 69 Strategic Alliance forms
PITTSBURG — The SEK Highway 69 Strategic Alliance formed to counter the state’s efforts to build a bypass around the cities of Arma, Frontenac and Pittsburg by linking Kansas City to Interstate 44 and Tulsa, according to The Pittsburg Morning Sun. The Kansas Department of Transportation announced plans last year to build a four-lane highway extending U.S. 160 two miles west to connect with a proposed western route for the bypass. It would move the U.S. 69 corridor two miles to the west and take nearly 800 acres of farmland out of production, as well as a few private homes.
Stream advisory issued after oil spill
TOPEKA — A stream advisory was issued for the Verdigris River from Highway 75 east of Neodesha to the Oklahoma state line, The Wilson County Citizen reported. An oil well spill about 500 feet from the Verdigris River east of Neodesha was reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The city’s water supply is not affected, but livestock, children and pets should avoid entering the stream. The Kansas Corporation Commission and the National Response Center are working to address the problem.
