Goessel residents warned not to let infants and pregnant women drink nitrate-laced tap water is waiting a repeat test before its water supply is cleared. A test last week indicated nitrate levels 10% above a federal standard, resulting in a warning not to give tap water to infants younger than 6 months or pregnant women or to use it to make infant formula. The sample measured nitrate at 11 milligrams per liter, according to the notice the city distributed. The notice said the city expected to notify residents within 30 days of retesting.
Read more: Marion County RECORD

The Lenexa Police Department reported its animal control officers are seeing more raccoons in the area exhibiting signs of canine distemper. The viral disease typically affects animals like raccoons, foxes and skunks, and it could cause them to come across as disoriented, lethargic or abnormally tame, per a social media post from Lenexa police. LPD said residents should never feed wildlife as it increases contact between animals and can contribute to the disease spreading. If you find a raccoon that looks sick or is acting unusual, contact the dispatch center at 913-477-7301. Residents are also encouraged to check their pets vaccination records and make sure those are current.
Read more: KSHB

Mayor Christal Watson launched her first “Christal Clear Conversations” town hall Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a community engagement series aimed at increasing transparency and collaborative problem solving between the Unified Government and Wyandotte County residents. The event was held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the KCK Town House Tenant Association, located at 1021 N. Seventh St. in Kansas City, Kansas. Most attendees were residents with questions and issues about senior services, transportation and safety. Watson and her staff shared resources and took questions, and several residents offered their own solutions.
Read more: KSHB

A water test on March 4 showed nitrate levels in Rural Water District 101, which serves the Yoder area, of 13 milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is above the state and federal level for maximum contaminant level, Reno County announced on Monday, March 16, in a news release. The state and federal maximum is set at 10 mg/L, Reno County Public Works Director Don Brittain wrote in the release. He wrote that nitrates in water come from a combination of natural, industrial, and agricultural sources.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

Iola and Allen County are launching new initiatives to boost economic development, tackle workforce shortages, and attract high-wage jobs to the region. Camille Lavon spent her first six months as economic development director for Iola and Allen County doing a lot of listening and learning. Her goal: to become as intimately familiar as possible with what the local business climate had to offer, and what needed help. Some of the challenges were hardly a mystery, reflective of southeast Kansas as a whole: businesses are struggling in an area with aging infrastructure,  affordable housing shortages and declining population. Mostly, companies have found it difficult to find quality employees. Tack in news that Gates Corporation was closing a production line, and cutting more than 80 jobs in the process, and it’s safe to say Lavon’s getting-to-know-you stage was a whirlwind.
Read more: The Iola Register

A long-awaited upgrade to Humboldt’s animal shelter is complete, replacing a decades-old facility with a modern space designed to better care for animals and serve the community. Construction on the new building at 700 S. First St. began in January and was led by Hanson Contracting of Humboldt, whose crew handled the bulk of the work on a tight timeline. For Animal Control Officer Sheri Modlin, the new shelter is a major improvement over what the community has relied on for years. The previous structure, she explained, consisted of just four outdoor kennels and dated back to around 1970. “We’ve always had a small shelter,” she said.  Over time, maintaining it became an ongoing challenge as inspections repeatedly revealed issues that needed to be addressed. Rather than continuing to patch an outdated facility, an unexpected opportunity made a full replacement possible. Funding for the project came from a donation left by the late David Bain and his sister, the late Kay Frances (Bain) Davis, both Humboldt natives.
Read more: The Iola Register

Wamego will soon be home to the world’s largest Toto. The Wamego Chamber of Commerce was awarded an attraction and development grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Tourism to construct a 15-foot tall Toto statue modeled after illustrations from the original “The Wizard of OZ” book by L. Frank Baum. This allows the community to avoid any potential legal battles with MGM, which produced the classic 1939 film. “Toto is a character that we can use and don’t have to worry about copyright issues, which that goes dating back to the original Toto statues,” said Corey Reeves, the chamber’s tourism and event manager. Kansas Department of Commerce director of tourism Bridgette Jobe said one thing Kansas historically does really well is “world’s largest” items, with 12 attractions already statewide.
Read more: themercury.com