At their April 27 meeting, the South Hutchinson City Council ordered their city administrator to draft a six-month data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) moratorium. Some council members even expressed strong opposition to such a facility under any circumstances. City Administrator Jeff Schenk first explained to the council what a moratorium is: a temporary, but complete, restriction of development for a facility like a data center or a BESS. Schenk said that the question is coming up in the region because municipalities are wondering if such moratoriums are needed to create proper regulations.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

With a hearty cheer, a large crowd celebrated the unveiling of the new marquee, marking the first phase of the restoration of the old Iola Theatre in downtown Iola. Throngs of youngsters gather outside the old Iola Theater for the showing of “The Circus Clown” sometime in the 1930s. The ornate marquee has been rebuilt and was turned on for the public Friday. With the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere mixed with the home-town folksiness of a county fair, droves of Iolans turned out for a party Friday. The occasion? Members of the Iola Theatre Association turned on the lights for the building’s marquee, an exact replica of the original from when the movie house first opened its doors in 1931. The crowd was greeted with storybook weather conditions as they were serenaded by both the Iola High School and Allen Community College jazz bands.
Read more: The Iola Register

The Galena Solar Project will generate 260 megawatts and create 198 construction jobs by 2030. Planning commission will consider a conditional use request for the project.
Read more: Wichita Biz Journal

The artificial intelligence boom has driven companies to search nationwide for space to build “hyperscale” data centers – and it turns out, Lawrence is actually a place they could go.
Read more: LJWorld

The massive site near De Soto was once home to a factory that produced gunpowder for artillery shells in World War II and rocket propellants during the Vietnam War. But bit by bit, parts of the site have been deemed safe by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Almost 400 acres will be allocated to become part of what will be Johnson County’s biggest park.
Read more: KC Star

In Harvey County – which is just north of Wichita – the lack of code language led to a two-year lawsuit with the landowner and the crypto company, which Harvey County eventually won. They’ve now approved a moratorium on all such projects, meaning no such projects can apply to locate in the county until the county finishes writing codes on the matter. Thus far, Douglas County officials are betting they don’t need a moratorium while they work to write language in their codes. The code-writing process though is proving to be a complex one.
Read more: LJWorld